Chip In The Head
by LoaTurtle00
Summary: Alvin and Brittany discover a secret about each other that they may have forgotten to discuss to closure with Dave after all these years. They aren't sure how to tell him, especially after another emergency takes priority. Warning: some chapters contain more adult-ish themes than others (chapter warnings provided). Age-wise they are 11.
1. Repressed Memories

**Chip In The Head**

 **About This Story:** Alvin and Brittany discover a secret about each other that they may have forgotten to discuss with Dave after all these years. They aren't sure how to tell him, especially after another emergency takes priority. Warning: some chapters contain more adult-ish themes than others (chapter warnings provided). Age-wise they are 11. I don't own any part of the Chipmunk franchise, just borrowing them from Nickelodeon, Janice Karman,  & Ross Bagdasarian, their family, & their company.

 **About This Chapter:** Rated PG-13(+), for the sexual innuendos and conversations of child abuse involving inappropriate relationships and interactions, but nothing explicit.

 **Pairings:** Alvin/Brittany

* * *

 **1\. Repressed Memories**

"Alright, Britt, I'm here to 'collect'." Alvin reluctantly sighed as he knocked on the door to his own bedroom one night in early summer.

"It's open." A voice could be heard from inside.

Alvin pushed open the door and stepped inside. "Let's get this over with."

"How do you want to do this?" Brittany asked from where she was sitting at the foot of Alvin's bed. "On your bed? On one of your brothers' beds? On the floor? I was gonna let you choose where you would be most comfortable, since you won that card game fair and square. And since most of our money is in various trust funds, anyway, we all decided to wager various chores and favors for each other instead. Still feel like a winner, now that you know you won that back massage from me instead of Jeanette?"

"Yeah, there's some fine print for ya." Alvin chuckled sarcastically. He sighed and continued, "I guess I'd be more comfortable on my bed. Should I take off my shirt for this? I wouldn't think you would want to go any lower."

"I guess..." Brittany sighed. A thought struck her. "So, if Jeanette were giving this back massage instead of me, you would take it all off?"

"Hey, Jeanette is a professional." Alvin stated as he cast off his shirt and stretched out across his bed to lie on his belly, while hugging a pillow under his head and chest. "I'd have a towel or something covering the lower half of me."

"Like there's anything to see there, anyway..." Brittany muttered as she reluctantly placed her hands on his shoulders and started kneading his tired muscles. His back was warm, and the fur on his dorsal stripes was soft.

Alvin originally rolled his eyes at her comment. But once she started massaging him, he closed his eyes and started feeling more relaxed. Her hands felt good. She seemed to know just where to apply pressure on him. "Oh, yes, that's the spot..." He mumbled into the pillow.

"Feeling like a winner, now?" Brittany chuckled.

"Uh-huh..." Alvin moaned into the pillow again.

Brittany continued, "I can still feel tightness in your neck and your lower back, but you have loosened up some. And I'm kinda glad to know you are enjoying this. I mean, I have practiced on Jeanette, and she's given me tips."

"No kidding?" Alvin resisted the urge to turn around and talk to her. "Now, when you say you 'practiced' on Jeanette, do you only have experience...above the waist? Or did she teach you to massage...anything else?"

Brittany sighed, "Well, I have a little bit of experience with foot massages, but I really don't want to handle your stinky feet right now."

"Understandable," Alvin muttered. "I don't want to handle my _own_ stinky feet right now, at least not at the end of the day, before I shower." He added a slight smirk. "But I think you know that when I said 'anything else below the waist', you know that I meant - "

She drilled her knuckles a little deeper into his shoulder blades. "Yeah, I know what you really meant, you sick little munk. And before you get any more disturbing images in your head, I'll have you know that when Jeanette let me practice on her, she was wearing a cami and pajama pants. I was usually wearing the same thing when she massaged my back. We never had any reason to go any lower than the waistline of our pajama pants, anyway. Honestly, you guys can have sick minds. Just what is it with guys and their interest in sick things like girl-on-girl action?"

"Geez, Brittany, I just wanted to know in case I get a pulled hamstring or tight hip sometime while playing sports." Alvin groaned. "And here you are accusing me of having a sick mind? Like you being born female grants you automatic sainthood, and me being a guy automatically dooms me to being a life-long sinner."

Brittany seemed a little taken aback and defensive at his comments. "Sorry for accusing you of having a sick mind. For some reason I misread the signals and thought you were harassing me. I don't know what I was thinking..." She looked like she might start crying.

Alvin sat up and looked at her apologetically. "Oh, Brittany, I'm sorry if you felt like I was yelling at you, there. I mean, you know by now how tense I am, but you're doing great at helping me feel more relaxed. And I'm sure between you and Jeanette, I'll be OK even if I happen to pull a hip or a hamstring. We can worry about that if and when it happens." He sighed as he patted her shoulder. "Right now, I guess I'll just lie back down and let you continue the massage."

Once he returned to his prone position, he could feel Brittany resting the side of her face between his shoulder blades. Her hands rubbed and patted on his shoulders and around his neck. It took Alvin a few moments to realize he was being hugged - he thought at first that it was just another type of massaging move. "We're cool now, Alvin." She sat up and continued to massage Alvin's back.

When Alvin settled back to his relaxed state, he decided to be brave and venture another conversational topic. "By the way, Britt, has _anyone_ else besides a doctor or other healthcare professional ever been 'below the waist' on you?"

She paused for a brief moment.

Alvin started kicking himself for asking such a personal question, it probably was none of his business, anyway. He tried to think of another question to ask instead.

"Well..." Brittany began as if taking it as a seriously legitimate question. "Do you remember that guy Giorgio, who was Ian Hawke's intern or personal assistant? Back when my sisters and I lived with Uncle Ian when we were like four or five, Giorgio used to give us baths." She shuddered. "I hated his baths. In some ways I would actually feel dirtier after the bath than before it. Even though I'm sure I was Uncle Giorgio's favorite, because he just spent a lot more time bathing me or dressing me up."

Alvin turned over to look at her. "I remember that guy... Yeah, Giorgio would give my brothers and me baths when we were like two or three. He had a gentle touch, and his hands were soft, don't get me wrong, but for some reason I still felt like he...hurt me, even though he didn't leave any physical scars. I'll admit that at the time, nothing felt wrong, it was only once I got older and wiser about it that it actually started feeling wrong. I'm sure Giorgio would never want to physically hurt me either, I mean, he had this...particular fondness and favoritism, maybe even an attraction for me."

"Yeah," Brittany agreed. "He told me that he wanted to keep me a virgin, so he didn't actually try to...how shall I say this? Uh, he never 'forced entry or entered beyond the screen door', but he still seemed to spend a lot of the bath time...uh...'messing around the door frames and the front steps'. Ugh!"

"Exactly!" Alvin stated. "He used to take pictures of us in the bathtub, too. He would handle me down there, too, which I realize now was totally inappropriate and it feels creepy to look back on it. At the time, I was two or three years old and didn't know any better. I believed him when he told me that I had 'insufficient blood circulation' to my...you know...my 'area', and all of his...affection to that area, including handling and even kissing, was supposed to improve circulation...there."

"Eww! He kissed _you_ there, too?" Brittany gagged. "He told _me_ I had 'insufficient blood circulation' to that area, too!"

Alvin continued, "He said it was a good sign that circulation was improving the more I would..." He nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Gee, I'm not sure I know how to say this...but he tried to get me to..."

"Would you feel more comfortable whispering it, Alvin?" Brittany interrupted with concern after reading the anxiety on his face.

"Yes, thanks!" Alvin heaved a sigh of relief. "But he tried to get me to..." He sat up and whispered something in Brittany's ear. When he returned back to his prone position, he saw that Brittany's eyes had widened. He chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry if that grossed you out..."

"Oh, you didn't gross me out too bad, since he would try to make _me_ do something to that effect, too." Brittany cringed. "Funny how I haven't really thought about it in...what, six years? But now that I remember it, I just feel so... Ugh!"

"Totally." Alvin shuddered as he shared her pain. "There was even a time when Simon tried to confront Ian and Giorgio and tell them that there was no such medical condition, especially at my age, and that they needed to stop doing that to me. He even directly shouted at them, 'Hands off my brother!' For him standing up for me like that, they stripped him, whipped him, took his glasses away and made him spend the night in the 'Punishment Cage'."

"Poor Simon!" Brittany gasped. "Ian used to make Jeanette spend similar nights in the 'Punishment Cage'. It just broke my heart seeing them do that to her. And the next morning, since Poor Eleanor was left to sleep alone, without being able to cuddle with either sister, because Jen was in the Punishment Cage and I was usually taken to the bedroom with Giorgio or Ian - she would still be tired. She would try cuddling with a teddy bear, but it wasn't the same as cuddling next to us."

Alvin almost wanted to cry after hearing this. "And I think the time Simon was in the Punishment Cage, Theodore was having a nightmare, and he tried to snuggle in bed with Giorgio, and me. Luckily, Giorgio was asleep, so I let Theodore snuggle with me for a while. At one point during the night, Theodore started crying and telling me how much he missed Dave. When Giorgio saw Theo in bed with us, he didn't seem to mind so much. But all Theodore's crying woke up Ian in the other room, and he came into Giorgio's room and picked up Theodore by the tail, asking how he got in, and then he literally threw Theodore out of the room! Poor Theodore must've hit his head when he landed, since he had a bump on his head the next day, and said he didn't remember anything about what happened that night. I felt like such a lousy brother after that."

"Why would you think that?" Brittany asked with concern. "I don't see how any of that was your fault."

Alvin started wiping away a few tears that had welled up in his eyes. "It was my fault for thinking that Dave had too many rules, and I got rebellious and convinced my brothers that he was the bad guy. It took eight whole months of living with and slaving for Ian to convince us that we belonged with Dave - eight months. I first thought Ian loved us more than Dave did. Ian spoiled us rotten for a few months, but then he overworked us with a hectic touring schedule. We were starting to get sick from exhaustion. Once we were back with Dave, life was good once again. But I'm just a horrible son, and I still give Dave more headaches than hugs. Remind me to hug him next time we see him - I owe him a _LOT_ of hugs."

Brittany pulled Alvin into a hug and patted his back. "Looks like I helped you release a lot of tension as well as repressed childhood memories tonight. I honestly didn't think my massages were _that_ good."

Alvin smiled. "Brittany, thank you. Would you like me to try giving you a back massage as a way to thank you for listening and sharing this with me?"

Brittany chuckled. "Sure." She removed her pink cardigan. "But I'm leaving on my cami, just so you know."

Alvin chuckled as he took his place rubbing her shoulders. "Yeah, I think with the kind of 'emotional nudity' we've just bared and shared, we've already reached a new level in our relationship. That's enough for me for now."

"Definitely." Brittany agreed. "You know, once upon an earlier time, after I told you I would leave on my cami, I would've expected you to say something like, 'Why? There's nothing to see under there anyway?' But I guess once again, you've proven me wrong about you."

Alvin chuckled as he kneaded his knuckles into the muscles between her shoulder blades. "To be honest, the thought crossed my mind, but I just didn't feel in the mood to give you a hard time, after we just bonded over sharing all that stuff."

"I owe Dave lots of thank-you hugs, too." Brittany sighed. "How did Dave react when you told him about what all Giorgio did to you?"

Alvin paused. "Did I ever tell him? I know Dave knew about the exhausting tour schedule, and the Punishment Cage, but I don't know if I ever told him about Giorgio and the baths. My brothers haven't ever mentioned to me that they remember all this. I wonder if they ever told him."

"Really?" Brittany wondered aloud. "Come to think of it, I'm not sure if I ever really told him, either. I never meant to keep that secret from him all these years, it's just...somehow something else would come up whenever the opportunity presented itself, and other times I just forgot about it. I wonder if either of my sisters ever told him, or if they even remember. I'd actually be very surprised if Jeanette forgot, since she can still remember the most random things from even our early childhood in almost photographically-accurate detail."

"Do you think we _should_ tell Dave about all this? Or is there a time-limit, since it happened so many years ago, and we're supposed to just forget it and move on with our lives?" Alvin found a tight spot at Brittany's neck, so he concentrated his efforts there. "I mean, I have a fear that if I told him now, he'd be mad at me for not telling him years ago, and he'd just tell me to get over it, and maybe just blow me off for being so dramatic about everything. That would be a lesson learned for me to never share stuff with him ever again. What about you?"

Brittany groaned as the tension released from her neck. She sighed as she thought about his question. "Well, I'm at least sure he won't lock us or our siblings in the Punishment Cage for telling him. But I would think he would like to know if something was still bothering any of his kids, even years later. He does care enough about us to keep us around. Why don't we tell him about it tomorrow, sometime when we are at the beach? Like when he goes to take a nap in the tent or something."

"Nice..." Alvin started brainstorming. "What better setting for telling Dave that someone 'touched our bathing suit areas' than while we are _actually_ wearing bathing suits?"

"Oh gosh, Alvin!" Brittany laughed as she slapped her forehead. "It's nice to see that you still have your sense of humor about this, even though I'm starting to feel a little guilty about it."

"Sorry, that was bad, I'll admit." Alvin sighed apologetically. "But now you know that I'm as broken as you are. Now, _how_ should we tell him? 'Oh, Dave, Brittany and I were giving each other back massages one night, and we got to reminiscing...' Do you think we'll get in trouble if he finds out about these 'topless' back massages? Or if he realizes we told each other before we told him?"

Brittany wrinkled her nose. "Uhh...I'd feel better if we left that stuff out. We could just tell him we were talking and reminiscing about when we were littler, and something that came up in our conversation reminded us that we were bothered by something, and we may have forgotten to sit down with him and really talk to him about it in depth or to closure, even though we may have given him a basic heads-up about it years ago."

"Oh, that's good." Alvin nodded. "Do you think we should be writing this down?"

* * *

 **A/N:** This story is sort of a prequel to "Munkin' To The Extreme", with some angsty adolescent and pre-adolescent drama mixed with humor. But it also involves some of the memories of abuse in "Chip-ergarten". Jeanette being the masseuse is based on the Nickelodeon cartoon episode "What A Gem", where she is into alternative healing arts (Ha! A little "witch-doctor"!). I also thought Jeanette reminds me of Phoebe from "Friends". Ian Hawke threw Theo out of a bedroom, after Theo complained of a nightmare, in the 2007 live-action movie "Alvin And The Chipmunks".


	2. Requesting An Exclusive Audience

**Chip In The Head**

 **About This Story:** Alvin and Brittany discover a secret about each other that they may have forgotten to discuss with Dave after all these years. They aren't sure how to tell him, especially after another emergency takes priority. Warning: some chapters contain more adult-ish themes than others (chapter warnings provided). Age-wise they are 11. I don't own any part of the Chipmunk franchise, just borrowing them from Nickelodeon, Janice Karman,  & Ross Bagdasarian, their family, & their company.

 **About This Chapter:** Rated PG, some conversations involving female puberty issues (bra shopping, menstruation)

 **Pairings:** Dave/Julie, Alvin/Brittany, Simon/Jeanette

* * *

 **2\. Requesting An Exclusive Audience**

David Seville smiled to himself at the electronic book he was reading while he lounged in the shady tent next to his girlfriend, Julie Garcia. She was reading another electronic book in the lounge chair next to him. "I'm so glad you and Logan could join us for a relaxing day at the beach, Julie."

"Yeah, thank you again for inviting us, Dave." Julie patted his arm. "I'm so glad I was able to take off from the clinic for a few days so we could join you and your family."

"Me too. It's great when things work out that way." Dave smiled. "It's been a beautiful day to spend at the beach so far. And thank you for bringing a separate car, so we could haul more stuff, like a shady tent, extra lounge chairs, the coolers, and more beach toys."

"You sure know how to travel light!" Julie chuckled.

"Well, over the years I've learned ways to ensure that all six of my kids stay amused while traveling." Dave shrugged. "Honestly, it feels chaotic, no matter how I do it. But for such precious quality time with all of them, I wouldn't have it any other way."

Julie smiled at him. "Neither would I. It's fun for Logan and myself to feel like a part of your family. I can tell he enjoys spending time with your kids, the closest I've come to giving him the experience of having siblings."

"And my kids don't seem to mind making room for two more people on some of our family outings." Dave mused. "For a while there, I was worried about Alvin, since he used to think every date I had pulled me further away from him, but he seems to have warmed up to Logan, and to you. I've had to tell him multiple times to think of it as just a family outing with two families, but it doesn't mean anyone is moving in with us permanently, or that we're getting engaged or married anytime soon."

"Oh, darn." Julie snapped her fingers in mock disappointment. "I already sent out the wedding invitations. Ha - not really. I'm glad that you as a fellow single parent understand taking things slow, since the kids are our priority."

"True." Dave nodded. "Maybe someday we could all become one family, but I have a feeling I'll need to run any move closer to that by my kids first, then ask Logan for your hand as if he were your father, rather than your son." He chuckled to himself. "Just the very thought of that would make great songwriting material to last me for months."

After a few moments of reading their respective books, Dave yawned. "Boy, I've gotten more tired since our earlier walk along the beach. I may just doze off."

"Understandable." Julie nodded. "I'll wake you if needed."

"Thanks..." Dave closed his eyes for a nap.

Nearly five minutes later, Alvin walked by the entrance to the shade tent. "Uh, Dave? Got a minute?" He was wearing his red trunks with black stripes on the side. His long-sleeved rash guard was mostly black, but with some red stripes, a red hood, and red sleeves. He was also wearing black beach sandals and of course his red hat.

Julie glanced over to Dave and saw that he was asleep. She quietly replied to Alvin. "I think he's asleep, or close enough to asleep, Alvin. Do you need something?"

Alvin came fully into the tent and saw that his father was barely rousing from his sleeping state. "Oh, sorry to catch you while you're taking a nap. I just..." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, seeing that Julie was more awake than his dad.

"What is it, Alvin? Are you OK?" Dave asked sleepily.

"Or anything I can help you with?" Julie offered.

Alvin seemed to think about it a moment, still rubbing the back of his neck. He turned, as if heading back outside. "You know...it can probably wait." He paused and turned again at the tent's entrance. "But...while I'm here, I might as well reapply sunscreen. Since you're awake, Julie, would you mind putting it on my face? I don't have a mirror to tell if I've rubbed it in well enough."

"Oh sure, no problem." Julie smiled as she searched the beach bag for the sunscreen. "Here it is."

"Thanks, Jules!" Alvin smiled as Julie rubbed sunscreen on his face.

"You know, it never occurred to me to ask you this before now..." Julie began. "But does that fine natural chipmunk fur give you any kind of sun protection?"

Alvin shrugged. "If it did, I don't think I'd need sunscreen or a hoodie rash guard as bad!" He chuckled. "I've learned the hard way that I can still sunburn pretty bad without all that sun protection. One time I fell asleep in a lounge chair in my backyard while I was in just my speedo, hat, and sunglasses." He winced. "I'll never forget how bad I burned and blistered! We even had a concert coming up within a few days, and the day of the concert was the first time I could actually wear clothes again, you know, without too much pain. Simon and Theodore joked that it looked like I was already wearing a red shirt - that I just needed to paint a yellow 'A' on my stomach to look like I was in one of my regular shirts. So I thought of going shirtless for the concert, but it would've looked funny, since my back was still the same creamy color as usual with the darker reddish-brown stripe down the back."

Julie winced empathetically. "That sounds painful! Glad you've learned to cover up since then. When did this happen, anyway?"

"Uh..." Alvin thought a moment. "I think I was six or seven..."

"Try nine!" Dave spoke up, smiling at his son, even though his eyes were semi-closed. "Or this at least happened _again_ when he was nine."

"Oh yeah," Alvin shook his head. "I forgot about that. What can I say? Experience is a good teacher, but I'm still not a very good student. Just ask any of my teachers!" He shared a laugh with Julie.

Dave chuckled a little at Alvin's joke, and he continued to smile to himself with his eyes still barely cracked open a bit. He enjoyed watching Alvin bond with Julie at these moments. They both seemed to be enjoying this. He even tried to picture life with the Chipmunks if he had been married to Julie the whole time. " _Hmmm_..." Would Logan have been _his_ son? Would he have been used to growing up with chipmunk brothers of the same age since age two? Would he have remembered life as an only child before then? Would Logan have even _been_ an only child, or would he and Julie have other human kids - like at least a little sister - in addition to Logan and their adopted chipmunk children? Would they move to a bigger house? How much help would Julie have provided in raising the Chipmunks and Chipettes? Would she have been more patient and understanding - a more natural parent than himself - with all of them - especially Alvin? Would Julie _still_ be married to him by now, or would Alvin have driven her crazy enough by now that she would've divorced him long ago? Dave didn't really want to think about _that_ as a possibility right now.

Alvin's voice interrupted Dave's train of thought. "Well, Julie, thanks again for helping me reapply sunscreen. I'll probably be back in two hours for more of that, if I'm not hungry for lunch before then."

"Sure, Alvin, anytime!" Julie laughed. "And please send some of the other kids in here for more sunscreen, as well."

"Will do!" As Alvin started to leave the tent, he paused and walked over to Dave, who was still barely awake. Without words, he softly threw his arms around his father's waist in a hug. "Enjoy your nap, Davey Dearest. You're the best dad ever, and I love you so much!"

Dave blinked and woke up enough to return the hug. "Thanks, Alvin, but I didn't bring much extra cash with me." He gently patted his son's back, before he planned to just go back to sleep. But to his surprise, Alvin continued hugging him. Dave sighed, "We already brought some drinks and desserts with us, so you don't need extra money for drinks or ice cream. And for the fifty-ninth time - we're not going parasailing on this trip, but maybe the next time you and I spend a fun weekend together - since you're eleven now, I'll consider it."

"Wow, Dave! That sounds awesome!" Alvin's eyes lit up. "If it means that much to you, I'll do it!" He added a laugh at the end.

Dave rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless. "Did you want something else, then? Since you still haven't let go of hugging me."

"That means that so far, I'm winning the hugging contest!" Alvin laughed again, before he looked more somber. "I just know that I owe you a lot of hugs. I kinda wanna talk to you about it sometime we won't be bothered by any interruptions - a father-son talk with just the two of us, if you don't mind. But it can wait. It's already waited five or ten years - you know I'm bad at math - so what's a few more hours?"

Dave gently placed his hands on his son's shoulders and moved him so that he could look at his eyes. "Are you sure it can wait, Alvin? Because, if something is bothering you now, I want to know about it. As your father, I _need_ to know about it. The sooner I know about it, the sooner I can do anything about it. Are you sure you don't want to just tell me now?"

Alvin whispered, "Well, it's a little too personal and embarrassing for right now."

"Oh... Oh! Alright then. We can wait until tonight then." Dave nodded.

"Thanks so much, Dave!" Alvin sighed with relief as he smiled and walked out of the tent.

When Alvin was gone, Julie cast a questioning look over at Dave, who just shrugged and explained, "I still don't have him figured out, even though I've known him for nine years." He sighed. "I'll need all the grace of God I can get when he's a teenager!"

Julie shrugged. "I just hope he's OK. I mean, lately I've realized that Logan is at that age where he tries to play it tough, and it's not cool to cry, or to tell parents anything. It's a challenge to coax information out of him and get him to talk sometimes, even though I'd think we have a good and close mother-son relationship." She went back to reading the book on her tablet, while Dave dozed off again.

Within ten minutes, Julie could hear another chipmunk voice just outside the tent. "Uh, Dave? I need to ask you something." Brittany walked into the tent in her pink bikini halter-top, wearing her light-yellow long-sleeved button-up cover shirt that nearly came down to her knees. Her shoes were pink flip-flop sandals with some bling along the straps. She moved her pink-framed bejeweled-edged sunglasses up to rest on the brim of her wide-brimmed white straw hat with a pink ribbon around it once she was in the shade. That's when she saw that Dave was asleep while Julie was awake. She lowered her voice to more of a whisper. "Oh, sorry, I didn't know he was asleep."

Julie smiled at her. "That's OK. Need anything, Brittany?"

Brittany thought for a moment. "Well...I guess my question for Dave can wait. Would you mind helping me put on more sunscreen, though? Alvin said you do a good job with that."

"Sure." Julie shrugged as she got out the sunscreen again. As she applied a dab of sunscreen to the girl chipmunk's face, she asked, "So, once Dave wakes up from his nap, would you like me to tell him that you want to ask him something?"

"That would be great, Julie! Thanks!" Brittany smiled.

Julie paused. "Just to be sure, is this question you have for Dave...something you might rather want to talk about with another woman?" When she saw a slightly more anxious look on Brittany's face, she clarified, "That is, if you feel like you know me well enough to ask me about it."

"Still kinda soon to talk with you about this...but thank you for offering, anyway." Brittany sighed with relief that Julie understood.

Julie shared an awkward laugh with her before saying, "Totally understandable. But it's nice that you are at least comfortable talking with Dave about all that stuff. I'm still pretty close to my dad, too - still not quite the typical 'Daddy's Girl', but almost there. Just curious, if you don't mind me asking, do you and your sisters even ask Dave about the female stuff?"

"Oh yeah, we love talking with Dave about anything." Brittany explained. "Sometimes he seems more nervous about it than we are, especially if he doesn't know a good answer for certain questions. He just tells us that we should ask Miss Miller, a doctor, or some other lady, since he doesn't know what else to tell us. But he always listens to our questions, and doesn't mind picking up anything we even might need at the grocery store or wherever, or dropping us off for bra shopping. He even already bought us a few feminine supplies just in case we need them in the near future, but I don't think any of us have really had to tap into that stash yet."

"It's at least better to have that stuff before you need it. So, way to be ahead of the game there!" Julie smiled.

"And it's good that none of us think it's weird to ask Dave anything, no matter how awkward or embarrassing." Brittany went on. "I mean, he's practically been our dad since we were five. The guy even used to let all six of us take baths together - but that was back when we could all fit in the bathtub without requiring too much personal space, and before co-ed baths got weird. Sorry, I'm rambling."

"Oh, no problem, Brittany!" Julie chuckled. "I've enjoyed getting to know you better." She patted her shoulder and shared another smile with her, before Brittany looked like she may leave the tent. Instead, she paused and ran back to sleeping Dave. She gently wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug.

Dave's eyes fluttered slightly open when he felt someone hugging him. "Huh? Oh, are you OK, Brittany? Is Alvin being mean to you again? I'm sorry the boys are all jerks at this age."

"No, it's nothing like that, Dave." Brittany giggled before she sighed in a more somber tone, "I just want to talk to you sometime, you know, whenever you get time for it, no rush. I think I'm already six years overdue for asking you about this, anyway. But I _really_ need to have a daddy-daughter talk with you."

Dave returned her hug, realizing she still hadn't let go. "Oh, sure, Britt. But just so you know, there is a wait, and you are next in line after Alvin. He asked me earlier, but I can see you tonight right after him, or first thing tomorrow, if my talk with him takes longer than expected. As you know, I'm no licensed counselor, so I can't make official appointments."

"It's alright, Dave. I understand." She pecked a little kiss on her dad's right cheek. "I love you, Dave, and I still owe you a lot more hugs and kisses. Thank you again!" She smiled as she left the tent.

Dave glanced over at Julie with a confused look on his face. "Whoa, _deja vu_... Do you suppose she wants to ask me the same thing Alvin wants to ask me? Or do you know if there is something going on here that I don't?"

"They _are_ your kids, Dave, and you've known them longer." Julie shrugged. "I already forgot if you told me Alvin and Brittany are friends who talk to each other, or if you said they don't get along."

Dave shook his head. "It seems to change every five minutes. My others get along and are close friends. Simon and Theodore enjoy doing stuff with Jeanette and Eleanor, those four love each other. Alvin and Brittany have been friends on and off since they met in Kindergarten. It just baffles me how protective Alvin was of Brittany back when he knew she lived in an abusive situation, but after I got custody of the girls, Alvin and Brittany went their separate ways. We may all be family, but those two still think of each other as competition."

"You poor daddy, Dave!" Julie chuckled. "Not only do you have to deal with your boys at their difficult pre-adolescent stage, but your girls are almost at that age too. And you know that girls usually get to that age earlier, right?"

"Oh yeah." Dave sighed. "Jeanette and Brittany are now taller than Alvin, and Eleanor is almost the same height as Alvin. Yeah, I use Alvin's height as the average height for an eleven-year-old boy chipmunk, and Brittany's height for a girl chipmunk of the same age. The girls have hit their growth spurt already, and I've even let them do some bra shopping. But I'm sure I'll still be clueless once they get their menstrual cycles. I'm most concerned about Brittany about that. She's just so independent - of men, and just in general - and seems to think of herself as lady of the house - in the Treehouse at least. But when she gets overwhelmed I sometimes have to go to her and ask her if she wants to talk. But this is sure different - seeing her come to me."

"Hello?" Simon's voice was heard outside the tent. "Dave? Julie? Mind if we come in for some more sunscreen?"

"Not a problem at all, Simon!" Julie smiled as Simon walked in the tent. He was wearing blue trunks with white stripes on the sides, brown beach sandals, a straw fedora hat with a black ribbon on it, and a rash guard that was mostly white, but with some blue stripes, blue sleeves, and a blue hoodie.

"Hi, Julie! Hi, Dave!" Jeanette smiled shyly as she walked in closely behind Simon. She was wearing a purple tankini, a white long-sleeved button-up cover shirt that nearly came to her knees, a white straw beach visor with a purple ribbon tying it, and some purple flip-flops with some bling on the straps.

"Hi, Jeanette!" Julie and Dave greeted her.

Julie was just about to put sunscreen on Simon's face, when he stepped to the side and motioned to Jeanette. "Oh yeah, ladies first."

"Aww, thank you, Simon! You're such a gentleman." Jeanette giggled as she let Julie put sunscreen on her face. She also had to remove her glasses for the task.

Dave patted Simon's shoulder. "Well, it's nice to know I at least raised _one_ gentleman."

"Aww, Theo and Alvin are gentlemen, too." Jeanette pointed out. "Well, they're at least nice to Ellie and me. We have no complaints."

"OK, Jeanette, you're good to go." Julie smiled at the girl chipmunk once she finished rubbing in the sunscreen. "So, what all are you kids doing out there, anyways?"

"Simon and I were out walking around and flying the kite." Jeanette recalled as she put her glasses back in place. "Theo, Ellie, and Logan were building sand castles and other sand sculptures. They're really neat! Alvin was body-surfing for a while, but he got tired and just started wading and walking around, mostly with Brittany."

"So, Alvin and Brittany are getting along?" Julie asked as Jeanette traded places with Simon, so he could have some sunscreen.

Simon removed his glasses. "Yeah, so far so good. They were even tossing a frisbee earlier. The rest of us would even play once in a while."

"Are both of them alright, though?" Dave asked with concern as he let Jeanette sit on his lap.

"Why wouldn't they be?" Jeanette looked up at her father.

"Well," Dave started explaining, "Both of them came in here earlier, at separate times, but they both wanted to talk to me alone, but that they can wait until later tonight, since they both said their questions for me are several years overdue."

"Do they both have the same kind of questions?" Simon asked.

"I really don't know." Dave shrugged. "I just hope they're both OK. I know that sometimes they'll tell you guys things before they'll tell me. I just thought I'd ask you two, in case you knew anything going on that I need to know so I can do what I can to help your brother and your sister."

Simon put his glasses back on before he glanced at Jeanette, who just shrugged at him. "Sorry, they haven't told us if anything was going on." He explained. "But we'll be watching to see if they do or say something out of the ordinary."

"Maybe we could ask them if they would like to join us for a walk, while we fly the kite some more." Jeanette suggested. "That way we could talk to them, just to make sure they're OK. We could see if they tell us anything that they need to tell you any sooner than tonight."

"Good idea, Jeanette!" Simon smiled at her. "Count me in!"

"Thank you, Jeanette, and Simon, for being willing to help me help them." Dave pulled both of them into a hug. They returned the hug before heading out of the tent. As they left, Dave smiled and waved after them. "You kids have fun!"

* * *

 **A/N:** Julie is from various episodes of the Nickelodeon cartoon (such as "Slipping Thru My Fingers", and "Man Cave"), I just gave her and Logan a last name (Garcia). I also gave her a profession as a Physician's Assistant. In "The Squeakquel", there was another character named Julie Ortega, but she was a high school teacher who seemed younger, and she was dating their distant cousin Toby. Then Dave was dating Samantha, the heart surgeon, in "The Road Chip". Alvin wanted to go parasailing in "Chipwrecked", but Dave said he was "too young". Personally, I would've been more worried about him being too small, since parasailing equipment isn't made for chipmunks or humanoid chipmunks. The "fun weekend" that Alvin and Dave spent together was in the Nickelodeon cartoon episode "Alvin's Wild Weekend", where they went skydiving and swimming with sharks (but he's too young for parasailing?).


	3. Eroded Vacation Plans

**Chip In The Head**

 **About This Story:** Alvin and Brittany discover a secret about each other that they may have forgotten to discuss to closure with Dave after all these years. They aren't sure how to tell him, especially after another emergency takes priority. Warning: some chapters contain more adult-ish themes than others (chapter warnings provided). Age-wise they are 11. I don't own any part of the Chipmunk franchise, just borrowing them from Nickelodeon, Janice Karman,  & Ross Bagdasarian, their family, & their company.

 **About This Chapter:** Rated Pg-13, for a pre-adolescent male fantasies involving female anatomy, brief conversation involving reproduction, female issues (bra humor), and depiction of injury

 **Pairings:** Alvin/Brittany

* * *

 **3\. Eroded Vacation Plans**

"Hey, Alvin!" Brittany waded up next to him as he came closer to shore to take a break from body-surfing.

"What's up, Britt?" Alvin smiled, a little happy for company as he came ashore.

"It sure looked like you were having fun out in those waves." Brittany tried to make small talk with him.

"Oh, yeah, they were a lot of fun." Alvin nodded. "But some of them are stronger than they look, and they nearly threw me on my face a couple of times."

Brittany winced with empathy, followed by a few seconds of awkward silence. She decided to cut right to the chase. "So I take it you haven't told Dave yet."

Alvin finally looked at her. "Oh, Brittany, I chickened out when I saw Julie in there with him, and that he was taking a nap. I couldn't ask Julie to leave, since that would be like ruining their date. Some date, though, she was reading while he was napping. I just don't get old people and the way they date." He paused while he and Brittany shared a laugh. "Anyways, did _you_ tell him?"

Brittany shook her head. "No. I chickened out for pretty much the same reason. The thought crossed my mind to tell Julie, since she was awake, and some things might be better discussed with another female. But I've known Dave much longer, and when it comes down to it, I'd rather talk with him about it. He's been like a dad to me for the past six years. Instead, I let Julie put more sunscreen on me. She is really nice, though. Maybe if she were actually married to Dave, and officially our mom, I would have no problem telling her. Could you actually see that happening someday?"

Alvin shrugged. "As much as I love having a bachelor dad, and getting to do fun stuff with him and bond with him - in some ways you could say my dad is my best friend, only he still grounds me for no reason - I'd still be happy for him and support him if he really wanted to get married someday. Hey, I'd even throw him a bachelor party! And I totally approve of Julie as a potential stepmom, and Logan as a potential stepbrother."

Brittany giggled. "Yeah, well watch out, since if that all happens, I'm gonna be throwing Julie a bachelorette party. Marina Rodentia has access to all kinds of awesome stuff and VIPs, and the two of us have already planned several awesome runway parties and events."

"Awesome!" Alvin's eyes lit up. "You know, for a moment there I thought we were gonna argue about which one of us would throw the better bachelor or bachelorette party, but I changed my mind when you mentioned Marina as an event planner. Do you think she could also plan weddings and receptions? Sorry, I know Dave and Julie aren't even engaged yet, but we're already having fun planning their wedding."

Brittany laughed. "I know! I already think it would be more fun working together on the wedding than it would be to compete for the better bachelor or bachelorette party. And you wanna know something else that I actually used to fantasize about for fun?"

Alvin looked nervous. "Not sure..."

"I used to imagine what it would be like if Marina married Dave." Brittany whispered, adding a giggle. "We could move into a big mansion - a family of rockstars and fashion designers. Oh-ho! Wouldn't that be fun!"

Alvin nodded for a while, but then paused. "Marina as my stepmom?" He did an impression of Marina's Eastern-European accent. "Oh, Alvin, you are so grounded when your father gets home, ' _dah-ling_ '. But I won't tell him you broke that priceless ' _vahse_ ' while skateboarding in the house, if you model some more toddler clothes for another 'Bambalini' photo shoot, ' _dah-ling_ '." They shared a laugh before Alvin continued in his normal voice, "That's at least better than the nightmares I used to have that my new stepmom was our teacher, Miss Smith, who gave me homework assignments even during summer breaks and holidays to punish me at home."

"Well, the rest of us may get along with and love Miss Smith," Brittany shrugged, "But I don't know about seeing her at home, and not just at school. Seeing her that much, I might wanna run away from home and become a juvenile delinquent like you." She playfully pushed against his shoulder.

"Oh yeah?" Alvin sounded like he wanted to challenge her. "Wait'll you hear this... I also had other dreams that Dave married our principal. At first, I thought it was a nightmare, since that meant I couldn't marry her. But then I realized that when I'm bad at school, my new mom can spank me." He started smiling mischievously. "And when I'm extra good at school, my new mom rewards me by cradling me in a rocking chair with her, and she even nurses me like an infant. Sure, I never return to solid foods, since I'm back to breastfeeding. So the way I see it - it's a win-win."

Brittany rolled her eyes sarcastically and kicked some sand over at him. "Yeah, you grow up to be a big baby in that fantasy - big surprise there, you sick munk."

Alvin laughed as he tried playfully dodging the sand she kicked at him.

"Hey! Do you guys mind?" Logan called from a few feet away. "We just finished some sand sculptures over there, and we haven't built the wall around them yet." He was wearing a long-sleeved beach hoodie that had a bright orange hood and sleeves, as well as some bright orange stripes alternating with some silvery-gray stripes. He also wore a dark gray baseball cap and sunglasses, and dark gray trunks with some bright orange hibiscus painted near the hems.

"Oh, sorry..." Alvin and Brittany apologized.

"What kind of sand sculptures?" Alvin asked.

"We'll show you around." Logan motioned to some of them. "Here are our sea creature themed ones..."

"Is that one an octopus?" Brittany pointed to one. "Those are some neat three-D effects!"

"Thanks!" Logan beamed. "We used a few large bucketfuls of wet sand to make the head, as well as making the legs stick up and out in all different directions like that."

"Wow, I also like that one that looks like a shark's head breaching out of the water with an open mouth." Alvin laughed.

"Oh, check out these pics we took of it after we made it." Logan pulled out his phone and swiped through a few photos. Some had Theodore pretending that the breaching shark was biting either his head or various limbs. Another was of a large fish tail up vertically out of the water. Eleanor was posed for a photo with that lying on her belly, propped up on her elbows in front of it, so that she looked like a mermaid kicking up her tail behind her on dry land. She even had some dried seaweed draped across her shoulders, as well as a scallop seashell over her left eye like a pirate eyepatch.

"That's awesome!" Brittany marveled. "She looks like the long-lost love child of Ariel and Captain Jack Sparrow. Where is the mermaid tail sculpture now?"

"That one blew over," Logan looked disappointed, "And it wasn't too long after I took this pic, either."

"Too bad." Brittany snapped her fingers in disappointment. "I was gonna try for a mermaid glamour shot of myself."

Alvin leaned in so that only Brittany could hear him. She just rolled her eyes and playfully slapped him away.

"What did he say?" Logan asked her.

"Oh, nothing important." Brittany groaned in annoyance. "He was just hoping I would be topless for that photo shoot."

Logan pretended to glare at Alvin in mock annoyance. "Now, Alvin, that is no way to treat a lady!"

"Uh, thank you, Logan!" Brittany motioned her hands in his direction. "Now, where are Theo and Ellie now?"

Logan motioned to the other side of a sand dune. "They're in what they call 'the kitchen'. After we did sea creatures, mermaid, and pirate sand sculptures, we decided to try some food-themed sand sculptures. They were even working on a cake one when I last saw them." As Brittany headed off to see the little chipmunks behind the sand dune, Logan nudged Alvin and whispered with a slight snicker, "Dude, I know I'd get in trouble if my mom or Dave found out I said this, but your joke about the topless mermaid shot was pretty funny."

Alvin high-fived him. "Thanks, Bro. I'd get in trouble too if they found out, but sometimes it's worth it to give Britt a hard time. She's fun to mess with. And is it just me, or is she even kinda cute when she's a little bit mad at me?"

"So, are you and Brittany a couple, or something?" Logan asked, kinda confused.

"What?...!" Alvin looked taken aback. "Oh, gosh, no! We're just friends." He paused for a moment. "But the weird thing is, you're not the first person who's asked. And between you and me, it seems after every concert, some tabloid comes out that uses every concert as an opportunity to look for clues that Brittany and I are dating. It's just so unreal! I mean, they'll use a pic taken at the concert where I have my arm around her, or that I'm holding her hand, but what they don't show is that my other arm was around Theodore or Simon, or my other hand was holding Jeanette's or Eleanor's hand when we lined up and took a bow at the end."

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't believe those tabloids anyway." Logan shrugged. "If there's a pic of you and Britt on the cover, I just like seeing those pics since I know you guys, and I like to tell people 'that guy might be my stepbrother someday'." He saw Alvin chuckle at that comment, but he continued, "But most people don't believe those articles, since they're often right next to people who claim they saw Bigfoot, or aliens, or mutants, or something like that. By the way, I was kinda surprised that the press wasn't all over the fact that you guys met the Ninja Turtles during your spring break tour in New York City. Theo and Ellie were telling me about them while we were making some sand sculptures - one of a giant sea turtle, and another of a giant slice of pizza."

Alvin laughed. "Oh yeah, they rocked! It was a weird few days, but I wouldn't have wanted to spend it with anyone besides our new Turtle friends. If you and your mom come with us to New York sometime, we'll even introduce you."

"Really? Thanks, Alvin, that would be awesome!" Logan nodded as they reached the other side of the dune.

"Hey, Alvin! Hey, Logan!" Theodore greeted them. "We finished the cake. Wanna slice?" His beach hoodie looked like Logan's, only it was bright green where Logan's was orange. He also wore a bucket hat with a green tropical print, and green trunks with silvery-gray stripes on the sides. He, Logan, and Eleanor had kicked off their shoes, which were neatly lined up on a towel nearby, thanks to Eleanor. Logan's and Theodore's sandals were gray, while Eleanor had aqua-green flip-flops with some sparkly bling on the straps.

Alvin laughed. "That cake almost looks good enough to eat! Awesome job on it!" The "cake" was about three feet in diameter and about one foot high, with a "slice" of it cut out. It was even decorated like it was a birthday cake.

"Thanks!" Eleanor beamed. "The coloring of it kinda reminds me of French-Silk Pie." She licked her lips dreamily. She wore a denim light blue long-sleeved button-up cover shirt over her aqua-green tank top and bright green cutoff jean shorts. Unlike her sisters, who left their cover shirts open, she preferred to keep hers buttoned closed, at least three buttons a little near the top. She also wore a floppy fishing hat with adjustable strings in the front, matching her cover shirt. Her hair was a bit longer now, so she had it in loose braided pigtails behind her ears.

Brittany knelt in the sand next to her sister. "I loved your 'mermaid pic', Ellie. I thought you looked like if Ariel 'The Little Mermaid' and Captain Jack Sparrow from 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' had a kid."

"Thanks, Britt!" Eleanor explained. "It was fun doing that sand sculpture, and still fun doing photo shoots with it afterwards. But too bad we had a breeze that was strong enough to knock it over."

Brittany sighed. "Yeah, too bad. I would've wanted to have Logan get a pic of me like that, so I could use it as my Facebook pic." She rolled her eyes. "Alvin said I should be topless for that photo shoot."

Apparently Theodore overheard them, since he joined Eleanor in glaring at his brother. "Alvin!"

"What?...!" Alvin pretended to be innocent as Theodore got up and he and Logan started burying Alvin in the sand, except for his head and feet.

Eleanor turned and whispered to Brittany when the boys were out of earshot. "On the other hand, if I had your girlish figure, I'd do it."

"Seriously?" Brittany glanced down at her bikini top that was still just barely big enough to fill an A-cup. "I'm flat enough to use a pancake for a bra! I'd do a topless mermaid photo shoot if I had _your_ more curvy figure." When Eleanor pretended to scoff, Brittany continued, "That's right, I know the _real_ reason why you keep that cover shirt buttoned near the top. Or why you wore thick sweatshirts, sweaters, or jackets even on days when it was a hundred-and-ten degrees outside. My 'sister sense' was tingling."

Eleanor rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "Oh...you noticed that, huh?" When she saw her sister nod, she said, "Well, good thing I didn't have to explain it to you."

Brittany patted her on the shoulder. "Hey, what are sisters good for if you can't take them bra-shopping once in a while?"

Eleanor chuckled before she sighed. "Too bad we can't switch bodies like Alvin and Raph did during spring break. I mean, it's getting hard for me to stay my athletic and tomboyish self when my boobs are trying to take over the world. I have to tape them down, but they still want to pop out."

Brittany laughed. "Try being the girly-type girl with a flat chest. I have to stuff my bra, and hope that I get the stuffing in there the right way, especially on days when I'm in a hurry. I worry I'll get them lopsided and it will be more obvious that I'm stuffing. It's also not easy seeing your little sister get her curves first. So, please forgive me ahead of time if I act jealous of you."

At that moment, Simon and Jeanette came over the dune to see them.

"Neat sand sculptures!" Jeanette admired.

"Thanks!" Eleanor beamed. "Theo, Logan, and I collaborated to make them. It was fun!"

Simon smiled. "Cool! We just came from the tent where Dave and Julie are hanging out. We got more sunscreen there, and we were wondering if anyone wanted to join us for a walk over near the rocky cliffs. We could also look for beach stuff you guys could use for other sand sculptures - shells, broken coral, seaweed, and the like."

"Oh yeah, Logan, that reminds me..." Alvin wriggled his way out of the sand Logan and Theodore put on top of him. "Your mommy wanted to see you in the tent so she could change your diaper."

"What?" Logan looked shocked and embarrassed.

As the others started laughing, Alvin gun-pointed with his right hand at Logan and threw him a wink. "Gotcha! Just kidding, she wanted to make sure you got more sunscreen." He tackle-hugged Logan and gave him a noogie. "Ha! You should've seen your face!"

"Whatever..." Logan rolled his eyes and sat up. "I guess I'll go get more sunscreen before joining you guys on that walk."

"Me too!" Theodore followed him.

"I guess I'll go get sunscreen with them." Eleanor sighed as she stood up. "It was nice chatting with ya, Britt. And thanks, by the way!"

"Anytime, Sis!" Brittany waved after Eleanor.

As Eleanor joined Theodore and Logan on the way back to the tent, she could hear Theodore chuckling and explaining to Logan while looking up at him to his left, "Sorry if my brother Alvin can be crazy and get us all into trouble. But it can be a good sign when he likes goofing off with you and giving you a hard time. It means he considers you one of us."

"Thanks! I know the joke was on me, but the 'diaper' joke was still pretty funny." Logan laughed. "Even though our parents aren't engaged or anything yet, in a way, I'm already starting to feel like you guys are my stepbrothers." He glanced in Eleanor's direction, on Theodore's right side. "And that you girls are my stepsisters."

"Yeah, we like hanging out with you, too!" Eleanor giggled. "The three of us sure make a great team of sand sculptors."

"Yeah, welcome to the family!" Theodore smiled up at him.

"Maybe mom will even invite you guys to Tahoe this winter, it's kind of a tradition." Logan smiled. "The nine of us could rent a cabin, do skiing or snowboarding, and the three of us - or anyone else who wants to join us - could make a bunch of snow sculptures."

"Awesome!" The two little chipmunks said in unison.

* * *

The three "sand sculptors" soon returned to the dune with a fresh coat of sunscreen, to meet the other four chipmunks for a walk over to the rocks. They also put on their sandals. Eleanor took a soccer ball, Logan took a frisbee, and Simon took his kite. Theodore also carried a bucket for storing seashells and other treasures they found that they could use to decorate their sand sculptures. On the way to the rocks, sometimes the seven of them would wade into the waves. Simon was flying his kite as he walked within earshot near Jeanette, Alvin, and Brittany.

Jeanette leaned over and asked Brittany and Alvin, "So, is everything OK between you guys?"

They both looked a little surprised that someone was picking up vibes from them that said otherwise. They glanced at each other briefly, as they just nodded casually. "Yeah, sure..."

"Why do you ask?" Brittany wanted to know.

"Well..." Jeanette seemed to think for a moment, then she sighed. "I'm gonna level with you guys, but while Simon and I were getting an extra coat of sunscreen in the tent, Dave said that both of you guys wanted a one-on-one private conversation with him later tonight. I think he just wanted to make sure it isn't something he needs to deal with sooner. Do you both have the same question or nature of questions for Dave? Or do you even know what each other wants to ask?"

Alvin and Brittany shared a slight wince as they looked at each other. Alvin shrugged, "I think we _do_ both have the same nature of questions we wanted to ask Dave. But we still want to talk to him separately, I guess so he can hear both sides of the story. It's kinda complicated."

Jeanette asked with concern, "Did you guys have a fight or something? And is there anything I can do to help?"

Brittany shook her head. "No, we didn't fight about this. We just had a conversation last night, and got to thinking about some stuff related to it. We both still have unanswered questions that we wanted to share with Dave."

Simon cleared his throat. "Sorry if I can't help but overhear, but is it possibly related to a recent tabloid? You know, one that claims you guys are dating? And if you don't mind me asking, _are_ you guys dating on the down-low, and hesitant for the press to find out about it?"

At this, Alvin and Brittany looked at each other and laughed awkwardly. "No, no, no!"

Brittany elaborated, "We're just friends, if you can call it that."

"Yeah, friends who like to give each other a hard time." Alvin finished. "But so many people sure like to fixate on the idea of us in a dating relationship together. I just don't see it happening. No offense or anything, Britt, ol' buddy. Am I right?" He patted her on the back.

Brittany returned the back pat. "You got that right, Alvin, ol' chum! I don't see that happening, either. Or the reason people seem to think we'd actually be a good couple."

"Hey, you guys and your personal lives aren't bothering us." Simon shrugged. "And it won't hurt our feelings whether you end up together someday or not. We're still your family, and we still love both of you."

"Yeah," Jeanette added. "I'm sorry you two in particular, out of all six of us chipmunks, get attacked so much from the public about your personal relationships. I mean, we're not even teenagers yet, and the press seems to treat you two like you have an adult relationship, or even that you have children together."

"I know!" Brittany laughed as her anxiety dissolved. "Every time Alvin and I seem to argue or compete over something, people are like, 'Are you guys getting a divorce? If so, which one of you is getting custody of your kids?' Gosh! We are only eleven! We don't have kids! I mean, neither of us is even _capable_ of having kids yet!" She made a sideways glance at Alvin, and realized he was blushing slightly and looking away awkwardly. She apologized, "Sorry, I just realized that's a very awkward and touchy subject."

Alvin chuckled as a way of easing his awkwardness. "Yeah, too much info! Besides, you've probably hit me in the acorns too many times - even by accident..." He sighed. "Anyways, as a way of getting out of this scary subject - circling back to your original question about why we both want to talk to Dave, I'll just drop two names - Uncle Giorgio and Uncle Ian."

Simon and Jeanette both glanced at each other and winced sympathetically.

Jeanette nodded. "Oh... Gotcha!"

Simon nodded as well. "Enough said! But let us know if there is anything we can do to help you guys. We were there with you, and we remember more than we'd like to remember." He glanced over to see Jeanette nodding in heartfelt agreement.

"Thanks, guys." Brittany smiled. "I wouldn't mind also talking about this with you guys sometime after we talk to Dave, to make sure he is up to speed on some of our unanswered questions." Alvin was nodding and smiling with her.

"Hey, guys, check it out!" Logan interrupted them to point out that they had arrived at the foot of the rocky cliffs.

"Wow!" Theodore marveled, setting down his bucket.

"It's so beautiful!" Eleanor noted.

Before long, the three of them started playing with the frisbee, as the other four started exploring among the rocks. At one point, the frisbee blew over to the surf side of one of the large rocks.

"Oh, I'll get that for you!" Alvin volunteered, disappearing behind the large rock.

"Be careful, Alvin!" Brittany called as she watched her friend climb over the rocks.

Some of the others peered down after him. He was standing among a rocky surface on a small ledge about two yards lower than the others with his back to the waves. "Here ya go, Teddy-Boy!" He tossed the frisbee up toward his little brother, who stood on the sand.

"Thanks, Alvin!" Theodore waved to him from the sandy ledge six feet higher than where Alvin was standing.

Before climbing back up to the others, Alvin curiously checked out the surface of the large rock before him. He knelt down to examine the tiny sand crabs scurrying among the cracks of the rocks. " _Jeanette would love to see this!_ " He thought to himself. " _She and Simon like little sea creatures, and with that white cover shirt, she looks like a marine biologist or something._ "

Before he could get to his feet and call Jeanette or Simon over to see the tiny sand crabs, Brittany yelled, "Alvin, look out!" Alvin looked up and slightly to his right to see her pointing to something behind him. But it was too late to see what she was pointing at. For he suddenly felt a large wave crashing behind him, knocking him head-first into the rock. Then everything went black.

* * *

All Brittany could do was stand there screaming in horror as she saw her friend dashed against the rock by a strong wave, lose consciousness, and get pulled away from shore by the undertow.

Theodore and Eleanor started crying as they ran back toward where their family made camp. The whole time they were screaming at the tops of their little lungs, "DAVE! DAAAVVVE! HELP! HEEELLLP!"

Simon dropped the end of his kite and threw off his hat as he immediately found his way down the rocks to try to keep his younger brother from drifting away. It wasn't easy. Simon could see a small trail of blood in the water emanating from the left side of Alvin's forehead, and he prayed that he could get to Alvin and drag him out of the water before it attracted sharks. At the moment, he was in water that was barely up to his shoulders. Before he got in water over his head - literally - he reached out in an almost-blind attempt to grab Alvin. _Missed!_ All he managed to get was the bill of Alvin's cap in his right hand, which had a bloodstain that reached three inches on the left side of the bill, and almost two inches up from the brim.

As he started to push off with his feet into water over his head, he felt something take hold of his ankles. "I've gotcha, Simon! Can you reach him?" It was Logan.

Simon quickly smiled back at Logan with a renewed level of energy. This time, he managed to reach out and grab a hold of Alvin's right arm using his left hand. "YES! Got him!" It also helped that the next wave was pushing Alvin a little bit more back toward shore. All Simon could really see, with all the water splashing on his glasses, was the back and the crown of Alvin's auburn head bobbing in the water, still bleeding, and still as unresponsive.

"Careful, here comes another wave!" Logan called out as he tried to pull the two chipmunks back onshore without letting them hit any more rocks. It was challenging, as strong as the current and undertow had grown.

Simon was using Alvin's cap as an oar in his right hand while steadying Alvin and pulling him closer with his left hand. He was starting to grow tired as the current seemed to get stronger with each wave. He wondered if Logan was also in water over his head.

Soon, Simon could feel some stronger arms wrap around him, and he could hear Dave's voice announcing, "I've got you, Simon!"

Simon took a deep breath of relief as Dave pulled him ashore, along with Alvin. "Careful with his head, Dave, he for sure had a head injury, and possibly a neck injury as well."

"Thanks, Simon!" Dave nodded quickly to his oldest son, as he carefully supported Alvin's head and neck against his forearm while pulling him out of the water. He carried Alvin to a safe, dry area of the sand to check for his vital signs. The way Dave carried Alvin against his left shoulder led the lifeguard and some other onlookers to think he was rescuing an infant or toddler, rather than an eleven-year-old.

Simon could hear some people mumbling amongst themselves, " _Is the baby OK? Who would let their baby walk around by the rocks unsupervised?_ " Time seemed to slow down into a slow-motion haze, as Simon collapsed to his knees on the sand. Jeanette and Brittany hugged him from behind and cried against his shoulders. He felt like joining them in crying, but he was just too exhausted for tears, so he just dry-heaved as he returned their hugs.

Alvin was about ten feet away from them, and they could see Dave, Julie, and the lifeguard using a teamwork effort to ensure Alvin kept breathing. By this point, his red and black rashguard hoodie was removed and being used as a pillow for his head, as the sleeves functioned as temporary bandages to stop the bleeding. The lifeguard used his walkie-talkie to call for backup and to call for the paramedics.

It wasn't much longer until the paramedics arrived and took Alvin away in an ambulance, with Dave riding along with him, of course. Julie volunteered to pack up all the supplies in either her car or Dave's car, including Simon's kite and hat that an onlooker found for them. She then gave the rest of the kids a ride to the hospital waiting room, once they had changed clothes. As soon as she and Dave heard Alvin's condition stabilized, she gave Dave a ride back to the beach to pick up his car, while Logan and the other chipmunk children stayed in the waiting room to keep tabs on Alvin.

Eventually, Julie took everyone else back to the Seville home except for Dave, who never left his son's side after that, despite dozing off periodically. By now, he was exhausted.

* * *

 **A/N:** Marina Rodentia is from the Nickelodeon cartoon, in episodes like "She's Got Style" and "Alvin's Got A Brand-New Bag". Alvin developed an obvious crush on the new principal in the episode "Principal Interest". Logan is Julie's son in episodes "Slippin' Thru My Fingers" and "Man Cave". The Chipmunks and Chipettes meet the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in my other fanfic, "Munks Meet More Mutants". Alvin refers to his "acorns" in the 2011 live-action movie, "Chipwrecked".


	4. Forgiveness Following Forgetfulness

**Chip In The Head**

 **About This Story:** Alvin and Brittany discover a secret about each other that they may have forgotten to discuss to closure with Dave after all these years. They aren't sure how to tell him, especially after another emergency takes priority. Warning: some chapters contain more adult-ish themes than others (chapter warnings provided). Age-wise they are 11. I don't own any part of the Chipmunk franchise, just borrowing them from Nickelodeon, Janice Karman,  & Ross Bagdasarian, their family, & their company.

 **About This Chapter:** Rated PG-13 (T), due to conversation involving a case of child molesting (non-explicit), medical and drug (medication) stuff

 **Pairings:** Alvin/Brittany

* * *

 **4\. Forgiveness Following Forgetfulness**

Everything appeared bright and fuzzy as Alvin blinked his eyes until he was sure they were fully open. His own voice even sounded foreign to him. "Mmmm... Wha...what happened? Whe...where am I?"

"Hey, Alvin!" Someone gasped excitedly from Alvin's right side. "How are you feeling, son?"

"Uh..." Alvin wasn't even sure what he felt right now. He would've also preferred asking the questions to answering them, since he was not in a thinking mood. But it must be a good sign if he was waking up to seeing someone smiling at him and warmly patting his right hand. His vision got less cloudy, as a man with brown eyes and black hair came more into focus. "Hey..."

"It's alright, Alvin." The man continued to hold his hand reassuringly. "You're gonna be OK. You sure gave us quite a scare yesterday at the beach. Theodore said you hit your head on a rock as a big wave pushed you into it. Then Simon and Logan had to make sure you didn't get washed out to sea. I stayed with you throughout the night once they moved you from the ER to this hospital room. The doctor said you needed a few staples in your head, so you might not want to move it."

"Huh?" Alvin released his hold on this man's hand so that he could move both hands to the upper sides of his face. Only his right hand was movable, since there was an IV in his left arm. "Oh..." He felt a crown of bandages around his head, along with a wave of moderate pain as he felt the left side. "Owww..."

"Shhh...you're OK, just leave the bandages alone and get some rest." He patted Alvin's right shoulder with his left hand, while using his right hand to resume holding Alvin's right hand. When he read some feelings of pain on Alvin's face, he assured him, "We can call the nurse to give you some more pain meds, if it hurts. Would you like for me to call the nurse?"

All Alvin could do was wince. This guy sure asked a lot of questions! Even though Alvin wasn't in the mood to answer any of them, he found the sound of this man's voice soothing.

"Here, I'm pressing the call button. The nurse should be here any moment." He bowed his head and pecked a small kiss to the back of Alvin's hand. He looked back into Alvin's eyes, seeing them welling with tears. "Oh, Alvin..." He patted Alvin's right shoulder and stroked his fingers across Alvin's right cheek as a few tears fell.

A brief knock on the door announced the entrance of one of the nurses carrying a small medicine tray. "How's he doing, Mister Seville?" She set down the tray next to the table by Alvin's IV pole.

The man explained, "Well, he woke up and discovered the bandages, and now he's in pain. Could he get some pain meds now, please? And he's been less responsive to me than usual, so he may even have amnesia."

The nurse looked at something in the chart, before she nodded, "Oh yes, we can give him a bolus of morphine. He might fall back asleep again, but considering what he's been through, that might be a good thing." She set to work preparing one of the syringes on her tray. "And here you go, Big Fella." She stated as she hooked up the syringe on the piggyback of the IV port in Alvin's left arm. "It should start kicking in within a few minutes. In the meantime, maybe your dad can sing you a song. I hear you are quite the rockstar at eleven years of age, or you've been a rockstar since you were..." She shot a questioning look toward the man.

"Since he was two." The guy cut in. "Yeah, sometimes I sing to them - he and his brothers - when they get sick, and they sing for me or each other, or I play the piano or guitar for them. Since I didn't bring my musical instruments with me, I guess singing for him might help break the ice." He smiled at Alvin, although Alvin continued to look confused. He gave Alvin another shoulder rub and patted his hand again as he started singing, "I told the witch doctor I was in love with you..."

He wasn't sure if the pain meds were starting to kick in, but by about the third round of "Ting-Tang Walla-Walla Bing-Bang", Alvin started to smile and join in. By the end of the song, the nurse applauded, while the father and son pair started chuckling together.

Alvin sluggishly reached out his right arm toward his dad. "Dave!"

Dave took hold of his outstretched hand, and he moved over to give his son a kiss on his right cheek. "Alvin! You had me worried there, son. I thought you had amnesia and forgot all about me, and even all about who _you_ are. But I would still accept that over losing you forever."

Alvin squeezed his father's hand. "It still hurts to think too much, but I remember you're my dad - and the best dad ever, Dave. And I'm Alvin Seville, the singing rockstar chipmunk. And my older brother is Simon, the guy who studies a lot and wears glasses. And Theodore is my sweet little brother, who likes to cook and eat. Where are they? And how are they doing?"

"They're at home." Dave explained. "I wonder if they got much sleep after Julie took them home."

The nurse smiled as she slipped out the door. "I'll let you two catch up, but I'll be back if you need me again."

Dave turned around and waved a quick "Thank you!"

Alvin looked a bit confused again. "Julie...Julie?"

Dave pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Here, Alvin, we can video chat with everyone to say hi and let them know you are awake."

Within a few swipes on Dave's phone, Simon's concerned face appeared onscreen. "Dave? Any updates on Alvin yet?"

Dave smiled reassuringly. "Alvin's right here, and awake. He was just asking about you. He just got some pain meds, since his head hurts, so he might be a little groggy." He turned the phone around so that Simon and Alvin could look at each other. "Here you go if you wanna talk to him."

"Hi, Simon!" Alvin smiled at the screen.

"Alvin! How are you feeling?" Simon asked with concern. He was in his pajamas at the moment.

"Hangin' in there, OK." Alvin chuckled. "Kinda sleepy now..."

"Glad to hear that!" Simon smiled at his brother, before turning to his side to talk to some others behind him. "Hey, guys, it's Alvin! He's awake. Wanna say hi?"

Dave and Alvin could hear multiple voices behind Simon, all expressing interest in seeing and talking to Alvin. Simon turned the phone downward, and soon Theodore was waving at them, while wearing his green striped pajamas. "Hi, Alvin! So happy you're OK."

Alvin smiled. "Hi, Teddy-Boy!"

Theodore continued, "We prayed for you last night and this morning, and we even built some forts in our bedroom. That way we could camp out and all of us could hear at the moment Dave called. We have a boys' tent, where Simon, Logan, and me all slept. And we have a girls' tent, where the Chipettes slept. Julie slept on an air mattress in Dave's office. Logan wants to say hi."

The phone camera field panned upwards again to a human boy with dark brown eyes and messed up dark brown short hair, as he sat on the floor wearing a gray T-shirt and some bright orange plaid pajama pants. "Hey, Alvin! Glad you made it through the night! Your brothers put together some blankets and some soft mattress foam so I could sleep on the floor in your room. It was pretty sweet of them - and a sweet way to sleep! Hope you get better soon, so you can join us camping out in your bedroom." To Dave he added, "We'll clean it up, Mister Seville - er, Dave. My mom is downstairs, probably getting breakfast out for us. I can make sure to tell her you called. OK?" He saw Dave smile and nod, so he looked back at Alvin. He also threw in a signal with his hand where he swiveled his wrist while his fingers were tucked in except for his thumb and pinky. "Take care, Alvin! Hang loose, Brah!"

Alvin laughed. "Later, Logan!"

The phone's field of view panned downwards again. This time a smiling girl with platinum blonde pigtails and bright aqua-green eyes came into view. "Hey, Alvin! It's me, Eleanor."

Alvin smiled as the memories of her came back to him. "Ellie-Girl!"

She went on, "So glad you made it! We're hoping Julie will take us to the hospital later today to see you in person. I'm sure you're tired of hospital food by now. Are you?"

Alvin shrugged slightly. "Well, I don't feel like eating much right now. I'm still tired." It was difficult to do much non-verbal communication, since shrugging still required more muscle movement than Alvin was willing to put forth.

Eleanor gave him an empathetic smile. "Aww, you poor thing! But I'll try to sneak some real home-cooked food to you when we visit later. I'm sure that will help win back your appetite. Would you like that, Big Brother?"

"Thanks, Eleanor! That would be great!" Alvin smiled at her. "You're so thoughtful, Little Sister!"

Eleanor giggled as she panned the phone slightly upwards. "Take care, Alvin! Here's Jeanette..."

"Hi, Alvin!" Jeanette waved at him. "So glad you made it. We were so worried all night!"

Alvin smiled at her. "It's good to hear your soothing voice and see your smiling face, Jeanette!"

Jeanette beamed. "Aww! Alvin, I could bring a soothing eye mask to help you sleep, and maybe even some travel magazines so you can pretend you are relaxing at the beach. Or if you're still traumatized by your accident at the beach, I could just make you feel like you are at a spa retreat in the mountains."

"Thanks, Jeanette!" Alvin smiled. "What would _really_ hit the spot would be a nice shoulder rub or a back massage. But that can wait, since I'm still too tired to move my head. The other stuff sounds good, though."

"Oh, and here's someone else who can help you pretend you are at a mountain spa retreat..." Jeanette moved the phone slightly down again so that Brittany was in view.

"Hey, Alvin!" Brittany blinked as she lightly waved at him. "On the bright side - that pale-blue hospital gown you're wearing really brings out your eyes."

Alvin brought his right hand to inspect his collar and sleeves. "Oh, thanks, Britt! Come to think of it, I didn't even notice what I was wearing." He glanced at Dave. "How did I get into this, anyways? And what happened to whatever I was wearing before this?"

Dave shrugged. "Your rash guard got taken off at the beach, before the paramedics arrived. I think the hospital staff took off your trunks and put the hospital gown on you once they moved you in here. I'm not sure, since everything that happened after we got to the hospital is just a blur to me. But your beach clothes, sandals - and maybe even your hat were stored in a plastic bag somewhere. I think we still have them in the closet of this hospital room."

Brittany had an idea. "How about I pack you some other clothes you can wear? You know, maybe some pajamas while you're in the hospital - if they let you, and some everyday clothes you can wear when they let you go home?"

Alvin looked a little surprised. "Really, Brittany? Are you even gonna go through my underwear drawer?"

Brittany laughed. "I think that would cross too many boundaries in our friendship, so I could just make sure Simon and Theodore pack those for you. But it's not like I've never seen your underwear before. I mean, we used to take baths with all six of us naked together. But it's cool, I'll respect your privacy and your boundaries, if it eases your mind. I'm just glad you're OK after your accident. You take care and get better, or else I'll have no choice but to raid your drawers and look at your underwear."

Something Brittany said struck a chord in Alvin's memory. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but a not-so-pleasant memory was coming to light. But what was it? It had something to do with Brittany, or boundaries, or nudity, or underwear. But to move the conversation along, Alvin smiled at Brittany and said with a hint of sarcasm, "Thanks, Britt, you're a true friend."

Brittany shrugged. "Hey, what bothers you more, me going through your underwear drawer, or total strangers changing your clothes and..." she lowered her voice to a whisper, "...seeing your 'bathing suit area'?" She rolled her eyes with a slight giggle. "OK, I know they're healthcare professionals, and it's nothing they've never seen before, but I understand how you would still find it creepy to wake up in clothes that you didn't fall asleep in. As I told you the other night, Giorgio used to do that to me all the time. Maybe while Dave is with you in the hospital, you can tell him all about that. You know, hint-hint, nudge-nudge, wink-wink..."

Alvin gasped as the memories came flooding back to him. He whispered with a slightly more worried expression, "Thanks for reminding me, Britt. I knew there was something I was supposed to talk about with Dave as soon as I saw you, but I couldn't remember what it was until you said that. And after this, the thought of you going through my underwear drawer doesn't bother me as much. I mean, at least I've known you since Kindergarten. We're cool, Brittany."

"Sure, sure, we're cool, Alvin." Brittany nodded and sighed. After a moment, she perked up. "Oh, and I'll also bring some socks for you, so your feet don't get too cold." As Alvin smiled at her thoughtfulness, she turned to the side. "Did you have anything else to tell him, Simon? Or anything else to tell Dave?"

The phone was in Simon's hands once again. "I think that's it. Glad you're OK, Alvin. And Dave, we are gonna try to visit sometime after lunch. I hope that gives Alvin - and you - enough time for a refreshing nap. Take care!"

Dave took the phone. "Thank you, Simon! I've enjoyed talking with you and the others. Thanks for the prayers and the well-wishes! I love all of you!" With that, he ended the video chat. He turned to Alvin once the phone was off. "So, Alvin, are you hungry now, or do you feel more like a nap?"

Alvin had a slightly anxious look on his face as he began, "Uh, Dave? As tired as I feel right now, and I'm sure you are too, there's something I need to talk to you about, before I forget."

Dave blinked. "Oh... Does this have anything to do with that father-son talk you wanted to have? The one that you wanted to tell me at the beach, when you came into the tent for some sunscreen? Or is something else wrong?"

Alvin closed his eyes as if trying to nod without moving his head too much. "It's about the original father-son talk I wanted to have." He opened his eyes and looked at his father. "Brittany actually reminded me of it just now. It's something that sort of affects both her and me."

Dave thought for a moment. "Well, she wanted to have a daddy-daughter talk with me, and she didn't mind waiting until after I had the father-son talk with you. I didn't know if it was the same kinda questions you had or not."

Alvin explained, "I think our questions will be similar. You see, Dave, last night - or whenever it was before we went on our beach trip - Brittany and I got to talking and strolling down Memory Lane. That's when we both remembered Uncle Ian, and his assistant Giorgio. Both of us realized that Giorgio...did similar...stuff...to both of us. And we both weren't sure if we had really sat down and talked to you about what we went through with him. I'm sorry if I kept forgetting to tell you about it. Over the years I would either forget about it, or the times I would even think of it, something else would come up. I don't mean to speak for both of us chipmunks, but the other night Brittany and I felt guilty about not getting closure for this. I'm so sorry I didn't talk to you about this earlier, Dave. Are you mad?"

Dave had a look of concern on his face, and lovingly held both of Alvin's hands in his. "Oh, Alvin, I'm not mad at you - or Brittany - at all about this. If I'm mad at anyone, it's at myself for letting six years pass without really talking about it. I _did_ talk about this with just about everyone else except for you and Brittany. Since the others individually came to me within a few weeks of when it actually happened, I thought you and Brittany would also come to me on your own time. I even thought of coming to you, but I let my busy life get in the way. Either that, or I thought maybe you and Brittany had worked past it OK, and I wouldn't want to be the one who dredged up the memories you had long since buried. But if any of it still bothers you, you can still talk to me about it."

Alvin slightly smiled and squeezed his dad's hands. "Thanks, Dave. At the time it happened, maybe I just thought getting myself, my brothers, or the girls out of the situation was enough. And, you know, now that I'm older I know how wrong it all was. But when we were five, I was starting to see how wrong it was, for Uncle Giorgio to treat Brittany - or any of the girls - like that, or when my brothers complained, but I was OK with him doing the same kinda stuff to me. Like I had a double-standard about it being wrong when it happened to others, but not so wrong when it happened to me. And to be honest, at the time he did that stuff to me, I kinda...didn't completely hate it. I even enjoyed the attention, and now I feel even more guilty thinking about it. Maybe that's why I didn't want to tell you this secret when it happened - I was afraid I would get in trouble for sharing that I even liked some of the treatment at the time. To this day I occasionally have dreams that relive some of those memories with Giorgio - and I wouldn't call _all_ of them 'nightmares' _per se_."

Dave blinked. "This information isn't easy to hear, but rest assured that you're not in trouble. And for someone who is 'afraid of getting in trouble', you sure find a lot of it." That comment made both of them share a chuckle before Dave added, "But this _Giorgio_ guy sure is gonna be in trouble if I ever see him!"

"But, Dave," interrupted Alvin. "That happened so long ago. Aren't we supposed to 'forgive and forget', like we learned in church? Besides, I still always thought of Giorgio as my friend. He was nicer to me than Ian was, and we made amends with Ian last summer when he helped us get off that tropical island before the volcano exploded. I mean, Uncle Giorgio told me many times that he loved me. I was his 'Li'l Squirt'! And I loved him, too. He was my 'Uncle Gi-gi'! I don't want to see him get hurt."

Dave then did something Alvin did not expect - he started crying. Seeing his father cry like that made Alvin cry with him. Dave took a deep breath after a few minutes, then gave Alvin's hands a gentle squeeze, while planting a reassuring kiss on the right side of Alvin's forehead. "I'm sorry if I lost it there for a moment, Alvin. Maybe I'm more tired and worn out than I thought. In some ways I'm glad for your sake that you have forgiven this man for what he did to you in the past, but as far as 'forgetting' goes, we can't just forget that ever happened or pretend it never happened. I mean, the authorities would never trust this man around children again in the future, and neither would I.

"Now, I understand that he said he loved you many times, and that he expressed a lot of...physical affection for you. When your brothers told me about this, they said they never heard him say that he loved you when he wasn't...physically taking advantage of you, or while you were fully dressed. And they never heard this man express feelings of love for either of them - at least not like he did with you or Brittany. I don't understand why you want to side with this man and protect him from the consequences of the law that he brought on himself. Back when you first met the girls, you were very protective of all of them, and wanted to keep this man and Ian from hurting them. And I've always been that protective of all six of you. My love for you is beyond just a feeling of physical attraction, which is as far as this man's love for you went - just physical. It just hurts me that anyone would ever hurt you or take advantage of you like that! You are my son, and I love you so much, Alvin Michael Seville!"

"Oh, David..." Alvin sniffled as more tears streamed from his eyes while he squeezed his father's hand.

Dave continued to hold his son's hand, even kissing the back of it between sobs. "Listen, Alvin, what I need to tell you next is not gonna be easy, but please bear with me. I understand that you may have genuinely loved Giorgio, and he said he loved you and wanted to _give_ you his 'love' - even if it was in a very physically inappropriate way, but in reality he was _taking_ from you more than he was _giving_ to you. And no one can really put a price on what he took from you - it's intangible, even if he had left any physical scars. Now, I don't want to make you feel any threat to your masculinity by telling you this...but what Giorgio took from you - or rather, _stole_ from you - is considered statutory rape in the legal sense, even if he never...physically 'entered'...your body."

Even though Alvin was moving around less than usual throughout this entire conversation, Dave could sense that his son froze during the revelation he learned during the last sentence. "Um, Alvin? Are you OK?"

Alvin blinked. "Dave, it's just that, since I didn't hate all of the treatment, and didn't really refuse it...I was sorta consenting to it, even though some red light was going off deep in my subconscious - and maybe even my conscience - that something about it was wrong. And maybe even somehow, by _not_ putting my foot down, or even by _not_ talking about all this in-depth with you years ago when I should have...I was giving Giorgio - and Ian - a reason to keep up that abusive behavior. And even in some way, however small, I was even...contributing to their abusing of my brothers - and the girls." He gazed downward in shame. "How could the others ever forgive me if they saw me as one of the rapists?" More quietly, he sobbed, "How could Brittany ever forgive me?"

"Shh...shh..." Dave stroked Alvin's cheek, wiping away a few tears, but hardly putting a dent in the wetness as more tears continued to stream. "Alvin...none of this is your fault - or Brittany's, even though at different times each of you chose to stay with Ian when you could've chosen to come home with me. I'm sure that given what you know now, you and Brittany both would've done things differently if you could. 'Live and learn' may sound cliche, but it sure applies here. But rest assured that no one blames either of you. And I will make sure to let Brittany know all of that once I get the chance to talk with her. But I understand that hearing me just saying this won't make the guilty feeling inside you disappear. I _do_ still love you no matter what."

Alvin smiled through the tears. "Thanks, Dave. I at least want to tell you that even though I thought at the time that Giorgio loved me, it was just a cheap imitation of love. I didn't understand love before you showed me. I can now say of all of the dads I've had in my life, you're by far my favorite and still the best! You know, even though you're the dad who's grounded me the most." The two of them shared a chuckle for a moment before Alvin sighed, "And on another subject not-too-unrelated to this one, I feel eerie or even guilty in a sense to learn that I lost my virginity at such a young age."

Dave rubbed Alvin's right shoulder. "It's OK, son. In the mental and spiritual sense, I would still consider you a virgin. You didn't choose to give anything away, you had it stolen from you. Maybe it's just me, but I think you can feel broken and even be used physically, without being considered 'used goods' spiritually. And even then, new beginnings are always still possible. Am I making any sense to you?"

"Kinda..." Alvin blinked, since he still didn't have the energy to shrug.

"Good, since I still want to remember all of this for my upcoming daddy-daughter talk with Brittany - that is, unless she may change her mind and want to talk to Julie or Miss Miller by then. Sorry, I digress..." Dave sighed as he gently took hold of both of Alvin's hands in both of his, and gazed deeply and lovingly into his son's eyes. "I understand that your carrying this burden for the past six or so years must have been very difficult for you. And even though it still wasn't easy for me to hear, I'm glad that you told me, and that you felt comfortable enough to tell me this kind of thing. I know you are a few years away from being a teenager, but I will still love you, and I hope you still feel loved. I want you to still feel comfortable telling me anything - and I mean _anything_ \- about your body or about your life, no matter how embarrassing, or even how much you fear that I might judge you or punish you. I'll try my best to be more understanding and comforting than judgmental. I know you are a major rockstar, but you still face many of the same uncertainties and challenges as any other kid out there. And the paparazzi gets in a feeding-frenzy when they can dig up dirt on you, so anything you've told me in this conversation is confidential. I want to make sure that your private parts and your private life stay private."

Alvin closed his eyes and chuckled, with a reddening tint to his face. He took a deep breath to compose himself before he replied with a slight eye roll, "David...the only thing that could make that last bit sound any more embarrassing would be if anyone else was around to hear it."

Dave laughed. "Well, I've heard that if family members are not embarrassing you, then they aren't involved enough in your life." This made Alvin laugh with him. They both sighed before Dave continued, "To be honest, I'm not sure where we are supposed to go from here. Do you think you or Brittany might need additional counseling?"

Alvin thought for a moment, before he released a yawn. "Can I think about that later? Right now I'm kinda sleepy."

Dave smiled at him. "I'm sleepy too. I could use a nap before lunch, and before the others come to visit us." He leaned in, with his right cheek pressed against Alvin's right cheek, before pecking a kiss there. "Oh, Alvin, I would give you a better hug after this kinda talk, but I don't want to accidentally disturb your head bandages and hurt you again. But I want you to still remember that you are my son, Alvin Michael Seville, and I love you, and will always love you no matter what." As he let go of Alvin's hands, he motioned to a reclining chair a few feet behind him. "And I also want to let you know that I'll be sleeping right over in that chair, while I let you take a nap."

"Thanks, Dave. I love you too, best dad ever..." Alvin yawned again as he smiled and closed his eyes for a restful nap.

* * *

 **A/N:** Since Alvin was hit on the left side of his head, he's not much into using words at first. Which is why singing to him helps bring back the memories, since his right brain is still intact. And his IV is mostly to keep him from getting dehydrated, but pain meds can also be given to him in this way. The Sevilles made amends with Ian Hawke on the tropical island before the volcano erupted in the "Chip-wrecked" movie. I gave Alvin the middle name "Michael", after Ross Jr's and Janice's son. I've done that in some other fanfics, just going out on a limb.


	5. Lifted Burdens

**Chip In The Head**

 **About This Story:** Alvin and Brittany discover a secret about each other that they may have forgotten to discuss to closure with Dave after all these years. They aren't sure how to tell him, especially after another emergency takes priority. Warning: some chapters contain more adult-ish themes than others (chapter warnings provided). Age-wise they are 11. I don't own any part of the Chipmunk franchise, just borrowing them from Nickelodeon, Janice Karman,  & Ross Bagdasarian, their family, & their company.

 **About This Chapter:** Rated PG-13 (T), for conversations involving non-explicit cases of child molesting and drug abuse, as well as some mild language.

 **Pairings:** Alvin/Brittany

* * *

 **5\. Lifted Burdens**

"Is Alvin ready for some visitors, yet?" The nurse poked her head into the hospital room that afternoon to see Alvin and Dave snacking on some mashed potatoes and some cups of vanilla pudding while watching the TV set mounted up on the wall.

Dave quickly swallowed his bite of food as he turned off the TV with the remote. "Sure, bring them in!"

Julie entered with Logan and five chipmunk children in tow. "Hi, Alvin! Hi, Dave! How are you guys holding up?"

"Hi, Jules! I've been much better, but so far I'm feeling better than I was this morning." Alvin smiled sleepily.

"Oh, good, you can eat!" Eleanor smiled at him while Theodore held out a container of cream of mashed zucchini soup. "We brought some other snacks from home."

"Thanks, Eleanor!" Alvin giggled. "I'm also glad you brought something soft like soup, since chewing makes my head hurt. How thoughtful of you!"

Eleanor even picked up a spoonful of it to bring toward Alvin's mouth. "Would you like for us to feed you some while it's still warm? Or would you like for us to wash our hands first? Not that we've handled anything other than the soup since we got here."

Alvin giggled. "There's some hand sanitizer on the table, if you'd like, but I don't have anything contagious, I just had my head bashed in by some rocks. I at least _hope_ that's not contagious. But I'd love to try the soup while it's still warm."

Julie helped retrieve the hand sanitizer, and passed it around the group.

Once the hands were all sanitized, Eleanor resumed feeding Alvin a spoonful of the soup. He took a bite, taking a few moments to savor the taste. "Mmm...thanks, Mommy!" He smiled at his little brother, who held the bowl of the soup. "...And my other Mommy."

Theodore chuckled. "Sure! I'm just glad you're feeling better, Alvin."

Simon knelt on the left side of the bed and patted the bump Alvin's left foot made in the covers. "Hey, Bro. What was it like to be unconscious? Or to have amnesia? What was the last thing you remember about the beach?"

Jeanette sat next to him, closer to the foot of the bed. "I would think your last memory of the beach is better than ours. By the way, I brought a few magazines and the soothing eye mask to help you relax."

Alvin smiled at her between bites as he was finishing up the bowl of soup. "Thanks, Jeanette. And thanks, Simon. I remember waking up this morning feeling very confused. Dave was there, but he was asking a lot of questions! I was too tired to answer any of them. I was like, 'Don't know, don't care, just make the pain in my head stop so I can go back to sleep!' I knew he looked familiar, but couldn't quite place him. He at least seemed happy to see me, so that was a good sign. He sang the 'Witch Doctor' song, and everything came flooding back. That was right before we called you guys. As far as unconsciousness felt, this one was like a dreamless sleep. I at least don't remember what I dreamed about. The last thing I remember at the beach was looking at some tiny sand crabs on some rocks. And I even thought how much Jeanette would've liked to see the sand crabs. So I guess my last memory of the beach is a pleasant one. I'm sorry if you guys didn't get to see the sand crabs. They were kinda cute."

Logan shrugged. "We were too preoccupied with making sure you didn't get washed out to sea, and praying that you didn't attract sharks. Simon did a great job of reaching you."

"And Logan, you did great keeping me rooted in place." Simon nodded toward Logan. Once Simon looked back at Alvin, he remembered, "Oh yeah...Brittany and I packed and brought some clothes you can wear. Pajamas to wear in the hospital, and some other clothes you can wear when they let you go. Brittany even remembered to pack some socks to warm your feet, and she reminded me to pack your unmentionables."

Alvin rolled his eyes while his face slightly reddened. "It's OK, Simon, everyone in this room is at least eleven years old. We can say words like 'underwear', or 'boxer shorts'."

Eleanor suppressed a giggle. "Hey, we can even stomach more accurate descriptions like 'man-panties' or 'tightie-whities'. Not that I've seen which of your undies Simon specifically brought this time, but I've seen those in your laundry before, and hey, I don't judge. It's still not as scary as finding a leopard-print thong in one of Ms Croner's loads of laundry!"

As the others laughed, Jeanette explained to Julie and Logan, "You see, sometimes our neighbor across the street, Ms Croner, rents out one of the rooms in her house as kind of a bed-and-breakfast. Mostly to 'adventurous' people who don't mind the company of a lot of cats. One theory is that it belonged to a guest, then a cat played with it and it got mixed in with Ms Croner's laundry. Another theory, proposed by Brittany, is that Ms Croner has multiple personalities - each personality probably adopting a different cat over the years."

Alvin sighed. "Yeah, that Ms Croner, she is just full of surprises. Speaking of crazy ladies we know...where's Brittany? I thought I saw her come in with you guys, but now I don't see her or Dave."

Julie explained, "About as soon as we got here, Dave and Brittany slipped out to get something to drink. He said they needed to talk about something while out, but they would be back soon. He didn't want the room to feel too crowded."

Jeanette sighed, "Brittany did seem to feel a little claustrophobic once she came in the room and saw Dave. I remember seeing them step out, but I kinda overlooked the matter, since I didn't think anything of it at the time."

Alvin's eyes widened. "Oh? Oh, I guess they wanted to have their daddy-daughter talk now..." When the others gave him a questioning look, as if to ask if he knew why they were talking, he explained, "Oh, don't worry, she's not in trouble or anything..." He glanced at Simon and Jeanette. "It's the stuff that you guys asked us about at the beach. Dave already kinda knows a lot of her questions, since Dave and I had our father-son talk this morning between our phone call and our nap."

Logan whispered to Alvin, "The 'Birds And The Bees'?"

"Oh, not _that_ talk!" Alvin laughed. "Most of us had that talk with Dave before we were eight or nine. This is more of...a personal incident that happened to our family about six or so years ago. Brittany and I just wanted to ask Dave...for some help in dealing with some painful memories from...the guys who...took care of us before Dave. I don't know if the others ever told you about Uncle Ian or Uncle Giorgio."

Logan winced empathetically, while his mom stepped in. "I think I've heard Dave drop those names before. Would you mind filling us in with more information about them? And is there anything else I could do?"

"I'm sure we can help fill you in a little. We could at least give you the abridged version of the story. But the extended version is kinda scary and involves more painful details." Alvin shivered.

Simon asked him, "Oh, would you like me to help you get on your socks, or your pajamas? You're starting to look cold."

"Come to think of it, socks would be nice right now." Alvin admitted. "And maybe some shorts or pajama pants. Because of my injury, I don't feel like pulling anything over my head, like shirts. This hospital gown will cover the top half of me for now."

"Jeanette and I can help put on your socks." Eleanor offered. "We don't have a problem handling your infamously stinky feet."

"Sure." Alvin chuckled. "They're probably aired out for you by now."

"We remembered to bring button-up shirts for you, just in case you change your mind about shirts. For now, Theodore and I can help with your shorts and pajama pants." Simon volunteered as he dug through a small tote bag for the items. "After all, we are brothers who shared a uterus for at least a month before we were born. No surprises there."

Theodore giggled. "Your former 'womb-mates' who are now your current roommates."

Simon paused as he lifted an edge of the covers. "Oh, wait...is there a bedpan under there? I don't handle those very well."

Alvin shrugged. "I don't think so. There may have been some square diaper-y pad-thingy that I slept on while I was out cold. And Dave took me into that bathroom to pee before lunch. When I came back, the pad was gone. But otherwise I've been too tired for...any other business because of the pain meds. Sorry, I ' _re-fuse_ ' to lie in my own...' _ref-use_ '." He chuckled.

Simon chuckled with him. "Nice play on words, Bro. It's so me of you."

* * *

Brittany wasn't sure what to expect when the nurse led the rest of her family to the door of Alvin's hospital room. It was one thing talking to Alvin through the screen of a phone, but an entirely different thing to see him in person. Sure, she was outgoing and could make friends easily with a variety of people. But things were different when she was around Alvin, especially when around _just_ Alvin and no one else. At least Alvin seemed in good spirits during the phone conversation, he didn't seem mad at her or as if he were blaming any part of his current predicament on her.

As the others filed into the room to see Alvin and give him the 'get-well gifts' they brought him, Brittany lingered near the door, unsure if she should wait until she was specifically invited to move any closer, although she accepted a pump of the hand sanitizer when it came to her, even if she didn't think she would handle his food or touch anything else. " _Poor Alvin..._ " She thought to herself. " _My sisters are so good with him and they make him feel happy. He probably doesn't want to see me, since something about me stresses him out. That's why I waited until the end of the video chat to talk to him._ " She sighed to herself.

"Brittany, are you OK?" It was Dave's whispered voice, full of his usual fatherly concern.

"Huh?" She blinked and looked up at him. "Oh, Dave, sorry if I'm a little out of it right now. A lot has been on my mind lately, some of it is concern about Alvin, and some of it isn't. Thanks for asking, though."

"It's OK, Alvin and I are glad you could come!" Dave leaned over, placing his right hand on her back. He continued to whisper, "Umm, after we got off the phone with you guys this morning, Alvin told me some things about...the questions and concerns you may still have for that daddy-daughter talk you wanted to have with me."

"Oh?" Brittany blinked. "I'm sorry about bringing it up now..."

"If you'd like, we could talk now while we step outside to get something to drink." Dave offered. "I mean, Alvin is in good company, and I'm sure he'd like some interaction with people other than just me."

"Really?" Brittany started to smile.

"Sure." Dave shrugged. "Just let me tell Julie... Oh, wait, would you be more comfortable talking to Julie about any of this?"

"Uh..." Brittany shrugged and bit her lip. "I'm not really sure. I was at least hoping to have some one-on-one time talking to you, since I've known you longer. I also know you entered my life towards the end of that whole...era, so you kinda know some of what happened."

"OK." Dave quickly nodded to her, then whispered something over to Julie for a few moments. With one quick wave and smile from Julie, Dave left the room with Brittany. He gave her a comforting smile. "It's good that we can do this. I mean, I haven't really left Alvin's side for a while. Sure, I want to be there for him when he needs attention in light of his injury, but at the same time I don't want to step on his toes or smother him. He's good about letting me know when he needs some space."

"So you already talked to him this morning about...?" Brittany sighed nervously.

Dave nodded. "Yes, we did. We at least had a basic talk, but he said maybe later he might feel up to telling more details and more specific incidents, but he doesn't want to have to think too much right now because of the breakthrough pain and the medications. And now that a lot of our talk is still fresh on my mind, I can make sure to pass along some of the responses I wanted to share with you. Would you like to sit down on this bench in this semi-private waiting area right now? Or are you thirsty enough that you want to get coffee, or tea, or a soda before we talk? It's on me, either way."

"Sitting down kinda seems nice right now. But we can still get drinks later, right?" She hopped up next to him on the bench and sat down to his left.

"Oh yes, definitely." Dave nodded as he sat down, placing a comforting hand around her shoulders. "And I just want you to know that you are not in trouble for anything you tell me, and it's confidential. And since this isn't the most secure place to talk, you don't have to tell any more details right now than you are comfortable. We can still have other talks about it in the future, or we can look into other professional counselors. You've been my daughter for the past six years, and I love you no matter what, just as I love all of you kids. The others came to me and told me the things they experienced within a few weeks that it happened, all except for you and Alvin, the ones of you who probably bore the brunt of everything. At the time I thought you guys would come to me when you were ready. I thought of going to you, but didn't want to be the one to dredge up the memories after you were past them. I kept forgetting about it, too. I just want to apologize for letting six years pass without talking to you about any of this. Even though I heard a lot about the story from the others, I still need to hear your take on it."

"Thanks, Dave!" She smiled with relief. "I'm sorry for not coming to you sooner. I don't really know where to start. I mean, I'm glad you already know a lot about the whole situation with Uncle Ian and Uncle Giorgio, since most of my...current issues involve dealing with memories of them. And over the years I may have blocked out some of those more painful memories. I remember feeling out of it or completely helpless for those first few weeks of Kindergarten, when a lot of it happened. It wasn't until after you took us in that I started feeling like I had more control over and more of a say in my own life, and that of my sisters. So, thank you for that, Dave. And I'm sorry if I let any of that newly found power go to my head, since I feel like I've had a problem being a real control-freak ever since. It's honestly starting to burn me out. I really needed a dad like you in my life to talk to about all this back then, since now these issues that have been swept under the rug and nearly forgotten have come back to haunt me."

"I think Jeanette told me that you were drugged during some of it." Dave added. "So it's not your fault if you can't remember some things. I mean, from what the others told me, I could piece together enough information to understand that a lot of what happened to you - and to Alvin - is considered statutory rape. And I don't blame you for wanting to block out and forget those memories. In fact, none of it is your fault, and no one blames you for any of it - that was a phrase I had to repeat to Alvin several times."

Brittany looked slightly worried. "It sure was a rude awakening for me a few years ago to learn the meaning of...the dreaded four-letter 'R-word' by realizing that I was a victim of it as a young child, even though Uncle Ian had to constantly remind Uncle Giorgio to 'keep me intact' so that I wouldn't loose my re-sell value as a virgin on the black market. I at least guess that's why he wanted me 'intact'."

"Alvin wasn't too thrilled this morning when I told him that he was also a victim of rape as a young child." Dave sighed.

"It's still called rape even if it happened to Alvin - or any other boy?" Brittany blinked.

Dave nodded. "Oh yes. It still falls under the same umbrella. I know there are a bunch of smaller definitions that get into more technical, legal, and medical details than I know, but this isn't the safest place for getting into all that. Bottom line is, you and Alvin were both victims of it by the hands of the same man, regardless of whether or not he actually...broke through. Alvin just didn't realize he was a victim of it until this morning. Poor fella! He was even telling me he felt so guilty to learn that he may have been broken to the point that some cultures might no longer consider him a virgin. But I tried to tell him that he may be broken and used in the physical sense, but he didn't give anything away - especially in the mental and spiritual sense - that it was stolen from him. And that new beginnings are always possible."

Brittany blinked. "By the way, is Alvin mad at me for any of that? I know I'm not always on the best of terms with him to where I can get myself to ask him. Not that I even _mean_ to care how Alvin feels about me...but I guess I just _do_ care more than I realize. I don't know why, but I digress. I just vaguely remember some times in Kindergarten when we would actually argue over some of it. Like, he would get mad at me for putting myself in the situation or choosing to stay with Ian and pursue a solo career when I could have - and _should_ have - just left Ian for good."

"It was frustrating for all of us to watch you make those kinds of decisions, I'll admit." Dave shrugged. "Those were some tough choices, especially for a five-year-old. But no one blames you to this day for the choices you made when you were five. I'm sure that knowing then what you know now, you would've done things differently. Those are some difficult lessons to live and learn at any age. I also know that you and Alvin often clash, since you are both strong personalities, but I don't think any of your current arguments have anything to do with your choosing to stay with Ian in an abusive situation six years ago. In fact, he may have worried that in some way - maybe by _not_ doing something about it sooner - that he was keeping you and your sisters in that situation. Or maybe even by not telling me as soon as he and his brothers left Ian, that Ian and Giorgio were not brought to justice sooner, which allowed the abusive behavior to continue with you and your sisters. I know it isn't always obvious, but you mean more to him than you think. Just like you care about him more than he knows."

"Thank you, Dave." She sighed with relief. "Most of it makes me feel bad when I think back on it. When I was four or five, I thought what was happening to us was just part of life. Only after a few more years of school did I learn that I didn't have to live like that, and that wasn't just how life was supposed to be. Your boys - especially Alvin - really showed me that I had a choice. It was after we moved in with you that I really started learning how...wrong and messed up things were between us, Ian, and Giorgio. I feel so dirty now thinking back on what all happened to me with them. I also feel guilty, thinking that I even consented to a lot of it. Even though it wasn't a legal form of consent, since Giorgio was an adult at the time and I was a child. It was almost as if I asked Giorgio - and Ian - to make a slave of me. I thought Ian 'owned' me in every sense of the word, and if he wanted to make me his or Giorgio's bitch, he could do that." She glanced up at her father. "Sorry if the wording of that was kinda harsh, but that's how I really feel."

Dave patted her shoulder. "It's OK. I've actually heard you say worse when you first stayed over at our house, and when I first started learning that you and your sisters were in an abusive situation." He chuckled to lighten her spirits a little. "I can remember you whispering stuff in my ear, and I felt like washing my ears out after hearing it. It was stuff I never expected to hear from a five-year-old girl - stuff I _shouldn't_ hear from a five-year-old girl or even a fifteen-year-old girl. But to you at that time, those were just the words to describe what happened. You didn't know any different."

Brittany smiled up at him. "All I know is you were the first man in my life who showed me otherwise - that I didn't have to, as they used to say...'put out' in order to be loved. I never knew unconditional love and kindness before you. And Alvin was the first boy who showed me a type of friendship based on mutual love and respect that I thought I could only find with my sisters. I thought all men were like Ian or Giorgio and that even the miniature males would eventually grow up to be like them. Giorgio and Ian seemed to give me the message that I existed as a 'plaything' they could feel up or dress in skimpy outfits whenever they wanted. Sure, it contradicts a lot of my feminist beliefs and the whole 'girl power' ideals that I embrace nowadays. My life has been more or less a power-struggle since then between my desire for male approval which came from my time with Ian and Giorgio, and independence from the male species which I have wanted since then. I'm sorry if that may have meant pushing away from you at times. I do actually need you in my life, as a dad I can trust and as a friend I can talk to."

Dave held her close. "It's OK, Brittany, I realize that at this age, all of you kids like having some space and independence. I mean, the whole point of being a parent is to raise your kids so they no longer need to rely on you for everything. You and your sisters do such a wonderful job of taking care of each other that I've even wondered at times whether or not I'm actually needed in your lives. I'm glad you girls are smart, strong, independent women who don't obsess over male approval, or seek to find your identity by pleasing men in a worldly sense. But I am blessed to be a part of your life, there when you need me as a father. And I love having you girls as part of my family. I think of the three of you as my daughters. No matter what happens over the years, I'll always love you as my own little girl, Brittany Charlene Chipette." With that, he pulled her into a gentle hug and planted a kiss on her forehead.

At this, Brittany burst into tears. "Oh, Dave! I love you, too."

Dave cradled her so that her head rested on his left shoulder. He sniffled as a stream of tears fell from his own eyes. "I wish I had thought to bring Kleenex. Is anything else wrong that you would like to tell me? Or are these tears just stored up from six years ago that are finally free to fall?" To himself, he thought, " _Hmm, there's some good songwriting material..._ "

Brittany took a deep breath and explained, "Dave, there is something else I thought of...I hesitated to even mention _how_ Alvin and I remembered all this, and what was going on when we thought of it."

"Oh?" Dave blinked and looked at her with concern.

"You see," Brittany began, "the night before we went to the beach, the six of us chipmunks were playing card games, and we even wagered various chores and favors for each other. Jeanette had been giving me lessons on how to give a back massage, so that she could be on the receiving end of one for a change. That's why I threw in a 'coupon' for a back massage for the winner of one of the rounds. You can imagine my surprise when Alvin won the back massage, also thinking that Jeanette would give it. He joked that he finally saw my name in the 'fine print' of the coupon. But he decided to use the coupon that evening. So I gave him a back massage while he was lying across his bed while he took off his shirt. He still wore his jeans for me, but if he had the massage from Jeanette he may have just worn a towel. But she has more professional experience than myself when it comes to massages."

"Yeah, she's massaged my back and neck a few times when she insists that I 'need' a massage." Dave chuckled. "I trust her judgment in that, and she's also been good whenever my boys - usually Alvin, of course - have some sports-related injury due to a pulled muscle. My boys trust her, too. It's nice to know she's sharing her knowledge with you, in case we ever need a backup masseuse."

"Good to know." Brittany smiled. "I just hope that Alvin doesn't get in trouble from anything I say in all of this, but you're our dad, and I think we should let you in on some things. It's just, somehow we got to talking about how Giorgio used to give us baths that would make us feel dirtier rather than cleaner, because of the way he would...handle us, especially down there. I don't know if somehow my massage was rubbing some deeper tissues where his memories were stored all these years, but I somehow just opened the floodgates, and we started comparing notes. He just started opening up to me about how affectionate Giorgio was with him, and how Giorgio even told him that he had 'insufficient blood circulation' to his...'area'. And Alvin even told me about how Giorgio would..." she whispered the rest into her father's ear.

Dave's eyes went wide with concern. "Alvin shared _that_ kind of information with you? And I'm getting concerned...Just what kind of wording did he use for all of that?"

"I think what I just shared with you were his exact words." Brittany explained. "It was nothing I hadn't heard before, mostly from Giorgio. And besides, Giorgio told me that I had 'insufficient blood circulation' to my area, and he did the same stuff to me, you know, aside from the obvious male-female differences in our anatomy. I think the biggest difference in our experiences from that was that I ended up with fewer...injuries down there in the end. But that's possibly because there is more...stuff on the outside to worry about with Alvin...because of his male anatomy. Which I haven't seen since the six of us took baths together - the whole reason of how I know it's there. Don't worry, he just _told_ me what happened, he didn't _show_ me anything."

"That's a relief." Dave sighed. "So far, nobody is in trouble. I just have trouble seeing you and Alvin talking so in-depth about this kinda stuff, especially with the precarious 'off-and-on' nature of your relationship - or friendship, whichever you call it."

Brittany shrugged and nodded. "It sure was a bonding moment for us. I even let him give me a back massage - while I left my cami on. I had finished rubbing his back, and we didn't really want the conversation to end. He said he kinda wanted to return the favor, since he enjoyed the way I massaged his back. I thought he did a nice job. I mean, I felt relaxed. I don't know, I guess I was just afraid something in there would get us in trouble - telling each other stuff about it before telling you. Not to mention that the paparazzi would be all over the fact that we were giving each other back massages while he was shirtless and I was in a cami. I don't know..."

Dave patted her back. "What happens under our roof is no one else's business, as well as what happened to you guys as younger children. Not that I think it would be good to make a habit of you and Alvin spending time off alone together like that. I tell you that, not as a manager to his rockstar protégés to be aware of for the sake of the paparazzi, but as a father to his pre-teen children. If the two of you spend too much time alone together, there's too much temptation and too much pressure to move faster onto other things, which invites too much drama for eleven-year-olds to handle. I should probably let Alvin know that as well. As you kids get older and enter your teenage years, we'll have to agree on setting some boundaries for male-female interactions. But we can work on that and talk about that later. Rest assured that you and Alvin are not in trouble for telling me this, OK?" He saw Brittany nod. "I think another thing to consider is additional counseling. If we can find a professional, licensed counselor through either school or a doctor's recommendation, they might give us better tools for getting you guys through all of this. Sadly, I know you guys are not the only kids who have ever needed to deal with these issues. Who knows? Maybe they can even help bring this 'Giorgio' to justice, or get him some professional psychiatric help or into some drug abuse rehab program."

Brittany smiled and put her arms around his neck in another hug, pecking a kiss on his left cheek. "Thanks, Dave! I enjoy these kinda daddy-daughter talks I can have with you. I wouldn't mind having more of them, maybe to tell you some more specific stories and more details."

"Anytime, Sweetie." Dave returned the hug and kiss to her left cheek. He cradled her affectionately for a few more moments, before he released to smile at her. "Would you still like to get something to drink? Coffee? Tea? Water? Soda? Juice?"

Brittany giggled. "It all sounds good! But maybe I'll know what I want after I see what all they have."

* * *

 **A/N:** It seems they have mashed zucchini (soup) a lot in the Nickelodeon cartoon, such as in episodes like "To Serve And Protect", or "Dog Days". Ms Croner is their neighbor from across the street, with a lot of cats in the cartoon series. She's in various episodes, like "Good Luck, Mr Whiskers", "What A Gem", "Switch Witch", and "Special Delivery", among others. Simon being uneasy around bedpans is a nod to "The Squeak-quel", where he lands in one while they are visiting Dave at the beginning. Alvin's stinky feet get mentioned in the cartoon episode "A Room Of One's Own". And I read some Wikipedia articles that said the gestation period for most "average" chipmunks is about one month long. I plan to include more about that later in one of my other fanfics, "Munks Meet More Mutants".

I also didn't want the daddy-daughter talk between Dave and Brittany to be too much of a repeat of the father-son talk Dave had with Alvin in the previous chapter, even though some similar information is included. Dave has a different and unique relationship with his (foster) daughters than he has with his (adopted) sons, and I hope I included plenty of that uniqueness, especially as they are all in their pre-adolescent or early adolescent years, when girls really start to enjoy having more adult conversations with their dads. Time spent in conversation with my dad meant a lot to me during that time in my life, even though I was never the typical "daddy's girl". It was incredible once we started learning together the unique flavor that daddy brought into my life (he grew up with four brothers, and had to get used to girls). Daddy-Daughter bonding can be a lot of fun for both dads and daughters!


	6. Hand-In-Hand Heart-To-Heart

**Chip In The Head**

 **About This Story:** Alvin and Brittany discover a secret about each other that they may have forgotten to discuss to closure with Dave after all these years. They aren't sure how to tell him, especially after another emergency takes priority. Warning: some chapters contain more adult-ish themes than others (chapter warnings provided). Age-wise they are 11. I don't own any part of the Chipmunk franchise, just borrowing them from Nickelodeon, Janice Karman,  & Ross Bagdasarian, their family, & their company.

 **About This Chapter:** Rated PG-13, for some mentions of a "sex talk" taking place, along with insinuations to rape. As well as mentions of kids watching TV not suitable for kids - including commercials about Viagra and erectile dysfunction, alcohol, enlarged prostate, overactive bladder, birth control, women's underwear, and feminine products. And there's a sort-of romantic moment between some characters.

 **Pairings:** Alvin/Brittany

* * *

 **6\. Hand-In-Hand Heart-To-Heart**

"We've got sodas!" Dave announced as he entered Alvin's hospital room with Brittany behind him.

Once everyone had a bottle of soda, Brittany bravely hopped onto Alvin's clinic bed to sit next to his right side. She even volunteered to open his drink for him.

"Britt!" Alvin seemed kinda groggy, but he was smiling as he affectionately took hold of her left hand in his right. "I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me. I missed you!"

"Really?" Brittany blinked as she returned the squeeze to his hand. "I thought you'd be OK with the others for a while, so I could talk to Dave, and get drinks."

"Oh, right..." Alvin smiled. "Thanks for the drinks. And I also wanted to thank you for packing my pajamas and socks, my feet already feel warmer after some of the others helped dress me."

"Aww, they already dressed you?" Brittany seemed disappointed. "And I never got a turn to play 'Dress Up Alvin'. But you're welcome for the drinks and the clothes."

Alvin looked around for a moment. "Well, maybe you can help me get on my shirt, so my back doesn't get cold. We saved you the most challenging part of dressing me."

"Lucky me." Brittany chuckled sarcastically.

Simon got out the button-up pajama top for Brittany to put on him, careful to not disturb the IV port on his left wrist, which was currently not connected to anything. She also didn't want to move his head too much to disturb the ice pack that was now in place. While Brittany was dressing Alvin in her professional manner, Dave slipped away to whisper something to Julie.

"Fifty-three seconds!" Simon looked up from his wristwatch when Brittany finished. "Great job, Brittany! It took Theo and myself two minutes to help him get into his boxers, then another two minutes with his pajama pants, and then it took Eleanor an average of twelve seconds to put on each sock."

"OK, enough, Simon." Alvin sighed. "I'm not in the mood to do math problems right now."

"Yeah, Simon, can't you see he's damaged his left brain?" Jeanette patted Alvin's left foot empathetically.

"It's Alvin. I think he was _born_ with damage to his left brain." Simon winked at his injured brother. "His right brain has always been stronger." He patted Alvin's left hand. "He's always been more of the creative type, so I'm glad his right brain is still intact."

Alvin adjusted the ice pack with his left hand. "But right now, my entire brain is worn out from the never-ending cycle of pain and pain meds."

"The nurse only gave you ibuprofen with a snack about forty-five minutes ago." Simon stated. "They're trying to wean you off the narcotic pain meds. But just ibuprofen shouldn't mess with your head too much. You're just worn out from the pain. Just try to stay quiet and relax."

"Would you like the soothing eye mask? Or any magazines?" Jeanette asked him.

Alvin nodded, but then winced in pain. He glanced over at Brittany on his right. "Since even my creative side doesn't want to work right now, maybe you could help me out, Britt."

"What is it, Alvin?" She asked with concern as she patted his right hand with her left.

"Here's the deal..." Alvin winced again. "The sound of my own voice kinda hurts my head when I talk, either too loud or for a long period of time, especially after moments of moving around a lot. So when people ask me stuff, it hurts to talk to say yes or no..." He took a deep breath to alleviate the pain.

Eleanor interrupted him. "Alvin, maybe that's God's way of telling you to stop talking. Did that ever occur to you?" As she saw Alvin try to nod, then wince again, she explained to Brittany, "But, as you can imagine, it also hurts him to shake or nod his head. We need a less painful method of communicating with him. Any ideas, Britt?"

"Aww, I'm sorry, Alvin." She gently squeezed his hand. "I know there was a time I fantasized about you being unable to talk. But now that it's happening, I don't like it. Without talking, how can you sing? I can't believe I'm saying this, but...Alvin, I'm actually gonna miss your voice."

He squeezed her hand gently, while he tried humming quietly.

That gave Brittany an idea. "Hey, Alvin, just hold onto my hand, or if I'm not here, just hold the hand of whoever sits here. For answering 'yes', just squeeze my hand or pull it closer to you. And for 'no' just push my hand away from you. Will that work for you?"

Alvin blinked, before whispering, "Could you repeat that? I think it might work, OK."

Brittany demonstrated the "yes" and "no" signals a few times before asking him, "Are you ready?" She felt him squeezing her hand to pull it closer toward himself. "So that's a 'yes'! OK then, we can play a game called 'Ask Alvin', where someone asks you a question, and I will answer for them based on the way I feel your hand signals." Alvin chuckled, giving another squeeze to her hand.

"Could I try?" Jeanette asked. When she saw Alvin tug Brittany's hand, she continued, "Alvin, did you still want to try the cooling eye mask?"

Alvin smiled and gave Brittany's hand another squeeze. He continued to smile once the eye mask was in place, with his head resting back on the pillow.

"What about magazines?" Jeanette asked again.

"No thanks." Brittany answered for him when she felt him push against her hand. "I think he wants to relax without any reading or browsing material for now." She felt a tug on her hand. "Wow, I was right about that."

Alvin smiled with his eyes closed, while he whispered, "She totally gets me."

Theodore asked, "Are you feeling better, Alvin?"

Brittany answered as she felt the gentle tug, "Yes, relaxing helps. Maybe in a few more minutes, he will be able to talk normally, without using me as an interpreter. Right?" She saw Alvin smile, while she felt another squeeze of her hand.

Logan chuckled from the chair near Alvin's left foot. "Is it ever freaky to you guys how well Brittany and Alvin understand each other so well? I mean, it's like they have their own language that only they understand. You guys are almost like twins on some level."

Alvin chuckled, but squeezed Brittany's hand.

Brittany glanced over at Alvin, but looked away, slightly blushing. "Yeah, we do hang out and get along at weird, random times. Then we fight, then we're friends again when it really matters. I really couldn't imagine my life without Alvin as a part of it, as much as I have tried to do so at various times while we were fighting over the years. Come to think of it, there have been times when both of us have saved the other's life."

"Really?" Logan asked eagerly. "Have I heard those stories?"

Theodore answered, "There was a time Brittany - along with Eleanor and Jeanette - saved Alvin, Simon, and myself from getting eaten by crocodiles in Fiji. This tribe of natives was trying to sacrifice us, but the girls came along in their hot-air balloon just in the nick of time. And one of the impressive parts of that story was that Alvin and Brittany weren't on the best of terms with each other the last time they saw each other. I was surprised how well they got along for a few days after that."

"Cool! So when did Alvin save Brittany?" Logan wanted to know.

Brittany answered, "I think that would be when we met in Kindergarten, and my sisters and I were in an abusive situation with Ian Hawke and his assistant Giorgio. We had lived with them and toured for a year, and I just thought that was how life was, especially for a group of young pop stars. It wasn't until after we befriended the Chipmunks and got to know Dave that we learned what it was like to have a real family where the members all love and care for each other."

"Wow, I guess you guys have really been through a lot together." Logan blinked in awe. "Total respect, Alvin - and Brittany."

Brittany felt a tug of her hand. "Right back atcha, Logan! From both of us." She smiled.

Logan chuckled mischievously. "So, Alvin, do the wedding bells I'm hearing belong to you and Brittany, instead of my mom and your dad?"

Alvin and Brittany both froze, with slightly reddening faces as Logan continued laughing. The others all exchanged awkward glances at his audacity.

Logan clarified, "I was just kidding, guys. I had to give you a hard time. Sorry, I couldn't resist messing with you."

Jeanette explained as the others laughed awkwardly, "Usually, even if the rest of us are thinking it, we don't say it out loud, since we don't want to jinx it. We're afraid they'll start fighting."

"Yeah, peaceful times between Alvin and Brittany can be so hard to come by." Theodore added.

Brittany felt Alvin pushing against her hand. "That's a 'no' to the wedding bells question? Aww, after all we've been through together?" She seemed disappointed.

Alvin gave her hand a squeeze. He whispered over to her. "But tell Logan to ask again in ten years." He paused. "Wait. How old will we be then? My head still doesn't want to do math."

"We'll be twenty-one." Brittany rolled her eyes, more at Logan than at Alvin.

"Alright! Open bar!" Logan chuckled.

"I hope the drugs wear off by then." Alvin sighed.

Simon explained, "The effects will usually wear off within a few hours, and they should be completely cleared from your system within a few days. What? I looked through your medical chart earlier, and I saw from results of the blood test that your BUN and serum creatinine, and therefore your kidney function is within normal limits."

"Gosh! You're nosy, Simon!" Eleanor observed. "Alvin, do you feel violated, knowing Simon is going through your personal health information?"

"Yes!" Brittany giggled when she felt the familiar tug. "And Alvin says he wants to sue Simon of this month's allowance because of that."

Silently, Alvin held out the palm of his left hand, making a "come-hither" motion with his fingers.

"Pay up, Simon." Brittany giggled as she interpreted for Alvin.

"You think I brought my allowance with me, in cash?" Simon looked puzzled.

But then Alvin motioned to his open mouth, while pretending to pant like a dog.

Simon handed Alvin his uncapped soda bottle from the table. "Oh, you must be thirsty. Here you go."

As Alvin took a drink for a few seconds, Theodore chuckled, "Watching him drink makes me thirsty, and I remember I already finished mine. I also haven't eaten since lunch. So I can't really decide if I'm more hungry or more thirsty."

"I'm kinda hungry and thirsty again, too." Eleanor admitted.

"So am I." Jeanette chimed in.

Julie volunteered, "Dave, I could take anyone who is hungry to the cafeteria. I just don't know where it is."

Dave added, "Well, Brittany and I got a snack and some drinks there earlier. I could show you where it is, and maybe pick up something for Alvin."

As the others all followed Dave out of the room, Brittany stayed next to Alvin. "I'm not that hungry right now, so I'll stay here with Alvin."

Dave looked back toward her. "Thanks, Brittany. Want me to pick up something for you, too?"

Brittany smiled, "Sure. I may be hungry by the time you get back."

Once Dave and the others disappeared, Brittany glanced over at Alvin and saw that he was yawning. "I guess if you're tired, do you mind if I just watch TV for a while? I'll try keeping the volume down."

"Not a problem." Alvin shrugged as he settled back on the pillow. "Between the ice pack, the eye mask, and the pain meds that are still in my system, I'll be fine." He watched her click through a few channels to see what was on TV. "So, I didn't get to ask you earlier, but how did your talk go with Dave?"

"Huh?" She blinked, surprised to hear that Alvin showed this level of interest in her life. "Oh, it was nice to talk to Dave. He was very helpful to me."

"Oh yeah?" Alvin smiled at her. "That's good to hear."

"Yeah." Brittany returned the smile. "But I think we may talk about it more in detail some other time, since we were still kinda in a public area."

"Oh really?" Alvin chuckled. "My talk with him wasn't as detailed as I originally hoped because I just had some powerful pain meds that made me very sleepy. But we at least had enough talk and a good cry to make for a great bonding moment."

"Aww, we had a good cry, too." Brittany squeezed his right hand. "I don't think I would've ever pegged you as the crying type. Or Dave, really."

"Funny how little we actually know each other, even though we've been practically family for the past six years." Alvin laughed along with her. He saw that she had changed the channel, and that she might change the channel again when he stopped her. "Oh, wait! Is this that mystery soap opera with the medical drama?"

" _As The Heart Beats_?" Brittany gasped.

They both smiled at each other. "I love this show!" They covered their mouths and giggled when they realized they had something in common.

"But please don't tell Dave." Alvin begged. "He won't even let me watch it. And he even has Simon on his side, trying to keep me from watching it. But I just pretend to visit Ms Croner and water her rose bushes or feed her cats, and I will just watch it with her."

"Really?" Brittany laughed. "Jeanette wasn't too crazy about me watching this show in our Treehouse at first, I guess mostly for Eleanor's sake. So, I would just go over to Ms Miller's house to watch it. Once Ms Miller saw me watching this, she watched it with me for a while, but at the end of the show, she started asking if I had questions about what I had seen. She didn't really wait for me to answer, she just started giving me a lecture about sex that was...just so awkward, to say the least. It was a rude awakening for me, since that's when I learned about the meaning of...the dreaded four-letter 'R-word', and I realized it happened to me as a child. But I didn't tell Ms Miller the _real_ reason of why I looked so nauseated during that talk. Lesson learned. Long story short, I'm more comfortable having those kinda talks with Dave than even with other women."

"Yikes!" Alvin winced. "I didn't realize that what happened to me as a child falls under the definition of...the 'R-word', until my talk with Dave today. But I had known what it meant since...well, maybe a little after one of our sex talks either at school or with Dave when I was about eight or nine. Simon tries to 'protect' me from the real meaning of it whenever I watch crime dramas on TV. He still thinks that I think it means 'getting beat up' or something like that, up there with 'mugged'. I don't know, Simon is kinda like Sheldon Cooper on ' _The Big Bang Theory_ ', in that he thinks he's better than everyone else." Alvin then did a mocking imitation of his older brother. " _Ooh! Look at me! I'm Simon, I'm a super genius chipmunk who is too evolved to ever have coitus. I'm gonna be a forty-year-old virgin someday, but I don't care, I'm too self-disciplined for worldly things like coitus._ " He rolled his eyes, but smiled as he saw that it was making Brittany laugh.

"Get this..." Brittany began, "Another time I was watching the show alone in our Treehouse. It was a sad episode, so I was crying when my sisters walked in. They were like, 'Oh, Britt, what's wrong?' And I tried changing the channel. By the time they looked at the TV, there was a Viagra commercial on. I think they figured out what I was _really_ watching, since Eleanor was imitating my crying while saying, 'Oh, it's just so sad to see that handsome rich guy with his hot wife and two jet-skis and a great vacation mansion in Saint Lucia, but know he still can't get an erection!' And Jeanette was like, 'You are so busted, Britt!' Wow! It was so embarrassing! But since then, they've grown to like the show, not as much as I do, but they don't mind if I watch it. It's no worse than watching ' _The Big Bang Theory_ ' or ' _Mom_ ' with Jeanette, or ' _Two Broke Girls_ ' or ' _Friends_ ' with Eleanor."

Alvin laughed with her. "Wow, the content of the show is already adult-ish enough that Dave doesn't want me watching it, but the commercials that come on during that show are a whole 'nuther story! I feel like I've learned a more about birth control, women's underwear, and other feminine products than an eleven-year-old boy really cares to know. But they're no worse than the commercials that air during sporting events Dave watches with all of us, with alcoholic drinks, partying, violent movie previews, and of course all the drug commercials for large prostates, tiny bladders, and erectile dysfunction. What a wild ride!"

"I know, right?" Brittany laughed again. "But the show has a great blend of comedy and light-hearted moments to make up for the adult romance situations and the heavy drama. It still does make me cry like nothing else, though. Especially if something on the show reminds me of anything that's happened in real life. I don't know why I continue to watch it when it makes me cry. I guess it makes me feel better about my own life."

"True." Alvin nodded. "Sometimes you just need a good cry to...get out all the negative feelings. Or, as Theodore says, crying is like farting, and you feel better afterwards."

They looked at each other and laughed again. Once they calmed down, Brittany asked, "Do you mean, that show has ever made _you_ cry, too?"

"Like a baby!" Alvin sighed. "Did you see that episode where Chelsea was pledging that nursing sorority, so they left her in the graveyard?"

"Oh yeah! I remember that one. I cried, too!" Brittany nodded.

Alvin continued, "Because she was in the graveyard, I thought it was gonna be scary, so I was all intrigued, you know how I like horror and monster movies. But then she came across that section of the cemetery where they buried some babies who were either miscarried or they had otherwise died shortly after birth. And she just started crying, thinking about how loved these babies were, even though some of them didn't have names, they were just 'Baby Boy Brown', or 'Baby Girl Johnson', or 'The Thompson Triplets'. Naturally, that one made me cry, being a triplet myself. Just the way she felt for the families who lost their babies... But she was kinda happy that something like that _could_ make her cry."

"Since she hadn't been able to cry after starting on antidepressants three years earlier." Brittany finished. "In a way I felt jealous of Chelsea, wondering if antidepressants would work for me."

"You've been feeling sad?" Alvin squeezed her hand. "Oh, Britt, I had no idea! I'm sorry if anything I've done recently has been making you feel bad. Whether I've teased you without mercy, or...had accidents at the beach causing you to stress out and worry about me. I'll try to be more careful."

"Oh, it's OK, Alvin." She squeezed his hand. "I'm sure you didn't mean to get hurt at the beach. And I think I've just been...preoccupied with so many things lately, that I don't think I can blame you for much of it. If anything, you haven't been adding to my problems lately, you've actually given me a little...comic relief. Maybe even encouragement. I mean, you're someone else who understands what it's like to be under two feet tall in a world of people who are five or six feet tall, and many of them don't even notice you. Sure, I want to have a lot of friends, and dress cute, and do my hair and makeup nice every day. But, hey, will appearance really matter as much if I get stepped on? I guess it helps seeing you with all your friends, trying contact sports with guys four or five times taller than you, and ten times bigger than you. Or facing bullies that are also that much bigger than you. You don't seem scared at all."

"Well, I've sure got you fooled." Alvin shrugged. "I mean, I still worry about my tail getting stuck in a doorway, or getting stepped on, or slipping on the edge of a public urinal and either falling backwards and having a head injury, or falling forwards into some pee - some of it could be mine, but I'm sure some of it belongs to some complete strangers."

"Eww! That sounds awful!" Brittany winced empathetically. "But, I do feel better after listening to you share many of your...daily struggles and stories."

"Yeah, totally!" Alvin agreed. "Now that we know we are both fans of ' _As The Heart Beats_ ', maybe we could get together sometime to binge-watch it in the Treehouse. You know, so Dave and Ms Miller don't know. I could bring popcorn!"

"That would be awesome!" Brittany shared a high-five with him for a moment. "Wow, to think that I didn't know earlier today that you were a fellow ' _Heart_ -Head'. Now, _this_ is the kind of secret I would rather share with you than...the whole childhood experience with Ian and Giorgio."

"For sure!" Alvin chuckled as he watched a bit of the show with Brittany. At one point, he actually felt brave enough that he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. She smiled at him, and reciprocated his show of affection by resting her head against his shoulder and humming.

The two of them would react to the show for a while. Brittany scoffed, "Uh, Veronica, don't you be judging Chelsea for making eyes at your brother Victor!"

Alvin replied. "Right! Veronica, we all know what you did with Chelsea's brother Charlie, and it was _waaay_ worse! We like Chelsea too much to let you get away with it!"

"Totally!" Brittany nodded as she rested back on Alvin's shoulder. "Funny, that I don't think I cared much for Chelsea until that graveyard scene. I didn't _hate_ her, but I guess I just didn't relate to her until then, when I realized she just _seems_ unfeeling because of the antidepressants. But then I saw she has a kind, caring heart."

"I liked Chelsea a lot more after that scene, too!" Alvin agreed. "And I think I was crying with her during that scene because it made me think of how our cousin Toby and his wife - Julie The Younger - had a miscarriage with their own baby just this past year close to Christmas. To think, I was almost upgraded to an uncle, or an uncle-cousin or cousin-uncle, whatever they would call me, since Toby is already Dave's cousin."

"Yeah, it made me cry for the same reason." Brittany sighed. "They would be wonderful parents, and I was excited about being a cousin-aunt or auntie-cousin. I always thought it sounded weird to be thought of as a 'second' or 'third-cousin', like we were just barely a step above total strangers. So I'm glad they would just call us aunts or uncles. Now, it'll be confusing once Dave marries Julie Garcia - God willing, of course - since there would be two Julie Sevilles in this town, married to two different cousins."

"Relax, I've already got that taken care of." Alvin grinned. "That's why I call Toby's Julie 'Julie The Younger'."

Brittany sarcastically chuckled. "Oh, you sure did take care of that! You know how women _love_ to be told they are 'older', or stuff in reference to their age. That's a great way to start things off with your future step-mom. She'll just love you!"

Alvin shuddered. "Oh...yeah... On second thought, maybe we'll have to call Toby's Julie 'Julie O' since she kinda hyphenated her maiden name as Julie Ortega-Seville."

"Did it ever occur to you that the Julie who marries Dave would just be called 'Mom'?" Brittany giggled.

Alvin chuckled. "That must've been stored in the part of my brain that took a hit. Or got drugged." They shared a laugh for a moment, then they sighed simultaneously. "For all the times we fight, it's great to realize we're friends deep down, and that we can hang out like friends."

Brittany rolled her head over to look at him from its resting place on his shoulder, while patting his chest with her right hand. "I like hanging out with you, too."

Alvin blinked as he realized how much he enjoyed that. And a smile grew on his face, one side at a time. "So, it's like we became best friends when we learned how much we both like this show... Just think, after binge-watching a few marathons together, we might be practically married."

Brittany laughed. "Yeah, wouldn't the paparazzi love that?" She changed her hand's patting motion into a rubbing motion. She even started humming as she felt more relaxed and more at ease with Alvin.

Alvin wasn't sure if this was one of those moments where he should kiss her. He sure felt an urge to kiss her! But what if she didn't want to be kissed? What if she only wanted to be friends? What if his kiss reminded her of the inappropriate ways Giorgio used to kiss her? And what if she forgot about his injury and slapped him away, giving him another headache? Or worse - what if she told Dave? Would he be grounded, even if Dave just knew Alvin _felt_ like kissing her? Oh, how he enjoyed the sensation of Brittany snuggling up next to him, rubbing his chest! He decided to take it slow, leaning in just a little more. "Brittany?" He whispered softly.

"Yes, Alvin?" She looked into his eyes, leaning in just a little closer to him.

A sound at the door made them jump back. "Hey, guys, I brought back some snacks and drinks we could share, and some potato soup for Alvin." It was Dave. As he set down the food and drink items, he looked up at the TV screen, where " _As The Heart Beats_ " was still on. "Are you sure this show is appropriate for your age?"

"Oh, sorry, Dave." Brittany changed the channel. "I was channel surfing for a while, then I was helping Alvin get comfortable, he dozed off at one point, and I think I did, too. At least until you came back."

"Oh, OK." Dave was too tired and hungry to question her further. "The others are eating in the cafeteria. Now, I don't want to betray any confidential or personal information you guys shared with me about the childhood situation, but I at least told the others a little heads up about the situation in general, so they can help you if I'm not around. They love you guys and want to help you, too."

"Thanks, Dave." They both smiled up at their father.

Dave reached his hand over to rub his son's chest. "How are you feeling now, Alvin?"

* * *

 **A/N:** " _As The Heart Beats_ " is a made-up TV show. I imagined it would be the combination of a mystery/crime drama (like CSI or SVU), a medical comedy (like " _Scrubs_ ", but with the occasional "trauma-drama" that kids wouldn't want to see), a show where sometimes they have heavy issues (like " _Mom_ ", again - not really for kids), in a soap opera vibe (the name alone reminds me of the title " _As The World Turns_ "). Just for fun, I imagined the title where all of the "A's" (like in "As", "HeArt", and "BeAts") look like a heartbeat blip on an ECG (or EKG) scan.

The graveyard scene they talk about on their favorite show is based on a real-life event, where I was touring a local cemetery for historical and tourist reasons and I came across that same section of the cemetery. It was kinda eerie, in that I could almost hear babies crying. But I cried more than I had cried in a long time (since I started on antidepressants, myself), just thinking about the families who had lost their babies. Some would've been older than me if they had lived! It was beautiful, though. I also prayed at that moment for my cousin Alan and his wife Jamie, who had lost their little guy (Lincoln Jack) to a miscarriage near Christmas. I would also be called a "cousin-aunt" or an "auntie-cousin", since "second-cousin" sounds like barely a step above "total stranger".

Toby Seville and Julie Ortega-Seville are from "The Squeakquel". Just going out on a limb in guessing that they ended up married by now. The Chipettes saved the Chipmunks from crocodiles in Fiji during "The Chipmunk Adventure". Alvin and Brittany had a temporary truce during my fanfic that takes place after that save, "The Missed Adventure". The Chipmunks save the Chipettes from Ian Hawke and Giorgio in my fanfic "Chip-ergarten". Ian is from the live-action movies from 2007-2011, Giorgio is an OC.


	7. Recharged For Discharge

**Chip In The Head**

 **About This Story** : Alvin and Brittany discover a secret about each other that they may have forgotten to discuss to closure with Dave after all these years. They aren't sure how to tell him, especially after another emergency takes priority. Warning: some chapters contain more adult-ish themes than others (chapter warnings provided). Age-wise they are 11. I don't own any part of the Chipmunk franchise, just borrowing them from Nickelodeon, Janice Karman, & Ross Bagdasarian, their family, & their company.

 **About This Chapter** : Rated PG-13 (T), for mentions of underwear, as well as conversations alluding to erections, and other adult relationship situations.

 **Pairings** : Alvin/Brittany, Dave/Julie

* * *

 **7\. Recharged For Discharge**

"Funny that I didn't notice my room came with a window until now." Alvin blinked as he sat on the edge of his hospital bed, slightly swinging his sock-covered feet. "Is it OK if I take a peek out the window before we leave, Dave?" The bulky crown of bandages on his head had been replaced by a smaller version, that looked like a sweatband.

"Sure, Alvin." Dave chuckled as he pulled some clothes for his son to wear for discharge out of the overnight bag. "I'll hold you up so you can have a better view. But I looked earlier, and it isn't much of a view, I'll admit."

"Spoiler alert." Alvin snapped his fingers with a slight hint of disappointment. "Oh wait, do I need to get dressed before I look?" Before his father could pick him up, he motioned downwards to the hospital gown that he was still wearing. "You know, so the public doesn't see anything that's supposed to stay private? But I am at least wearing boxers under this - will that be good enough?"

"I'm pretty sure the windows are tinted so that no one from outside will be able to see you. Even if they could see anything, we're up on the fourth floor, so no one will recognize you." Dave helped Alvin climb into the crook of his left elbow, facing outward.

"Thanks, David Dear." Alvin smiled as he leaned back from his sitting position so that the back of his head rested against his father's shoulder. The right side of his head affectionately and comfortably rested right below Dave's left jawline.

Dave moved the curtain back with his right hand. "See? It's not a bad view of the parking lot." He chuckled as he motioned out the window.

Alvin smiled with a slight shrug. "For someone who hasn't seen the sun in - what - two or three days, it's nice. I'm still glad you helped me look." He sighed, "In fact, you've done so much for all of us - but especially me, personally - that you deserve a nice, much-needed nap when we get home."

Dave sighed happily. "It's been a lot easier to sleep restfully after that first rough night with you. But once you've woken up from being unconscious, then again once your memory came back to you, I could sleep much better. And the thought of being back at home, sleeping in our own beds sounds really nice. I know your recovery hasn't been easy, but you've come a long way." He looked down at Alvin. "Are you ready to get dressed so we can go home?"

"Yep." Alvin smiled as Dave set him back on the edge of the bed.

"How much help do you need getting dressed?" Dave asked. "Since you got your boxers and your socks on last night after I helped you with a shower, I would think you can put on your pants and shoes by yourself."

Alvin shimmied into his jeans and slipped his shoes onto his feet as his father spoke. "And for the shower...uh, thank you, Dave. I know most people my age value privacy and independence from their parents, but...well...hey, how many of them have staples in their head? I mean, I can't see my injury without a mirror. How else will I be able to keep it clean without getting it too wet? I guess it was even kind of a bonding moment."

Dave held up a red plaid button-up shirt with short sleeves for his son to slip into from behind. "I'm glad Brittany and Simon thought to pack some button-up shirts for you to wear home. It may be at least a week before you can slip regular T-shirts over your head." He chuckled slightly as he sat on the edge of the bed to Alvin's left, "And helping you wash your hair in the shower was a bonding moment for me, as well. Since you've been so independent with showering, bathing, combing your own hair, or dressing yourself since you were about...seven or eight, I had forgotten what it was like to do many of those things for you. Even though I'll admit that the dad in me may occasionally miss those times with you for sentimental reasons, I'm glad for all practical reasons that you can do them for yourself. You know, when you don't have staples in your head."

Alvin chuckled. "You know, Dave, for a moment there I thought you were gonna wish for more of those times, since 'your babies are all growing up too fast', and pretty soon we won't need that kind of help from you. And you will soon feel that we don't need you as much anymore."

"Those were the 'sentimental reasons' I was talking about." Dave sighed and smiled over at Alvin. "But if I mentioned it, I'm afraid I would cry - and I thought I had cried enough already this week. Yes, I realize that you kids are all getting more independent as you grow up, and we'll have to find other ways for us to bond as a family." He looked uneasy, "Besides, someday I may need to live in a nursing home, where you guys and the nurses will have to do all of that stuff for me that I used to do for all of you."

It was Alvin's turn to look uneasy. "Gee, Dave, we may not physically get much bigger, and it may take all of us to lift you, but I'm sure we can pool our allowances together to put you in a nice nursing home, with a hot nurse taking care of you, and we'll come visit a lot - not just to see you, but to see your hot nurse."

Dave playfully nudged his son's elbow. "But hopefully not before you give me some grandchildren to spoil."

Alvin's eyes went wide. "Grandchildren?..." He muttered to himself as his mind raced anxiously. " _Dave wants grandchildren someday? And how many? Would he settle for adopted grandchildren - if Alvin and his brothers didn't end up married to the Chipettes? It would be hypocritical of him not to accept them for choosing such a path, since Dave was a single human who had adopted three boys outside his species. But was Dave implying that he expected his boys would someday marry - and procreate - with the Chipettes? Did he agree with most of the paparazzi, as well as the mystic mate quiz results, and expect Alvin to end up with Brittany? Huh, that no longer seemed like a horrible nightmare to him. But what if Brittany still thought it was a nightmare? What if Brittany had been emotionally scarred from her earlier childhood trauma so that a happy, fulfilling relationship with her was not possible? What if that was true of Alvin?"_ Alvin shuddered at the thought, as his mind kept racing.

"Alvin Michael Seville?" Dave waved his hand inches in front of his son's face. "Are you OK?"

Alvin blinked and shook his head. "Huh?"

Dave patted his shoulder. "Sorry, you just looked like you zoned out again. Maybe it's the hydrocodone they gave you this morning for discharge. Good thing you aren't the one driving home."

"Oh." Alvin sighed. "Yeah, I guess I still do that a lot. I'm sorry, did you say something about grandchildren?"

Dave laughed. "Oh, I think I did. But don't worry, I meant that as a joke - not a very good one, either - you've always given me a hard time about how I butcher jokes that I try to repeat, or you correct me for the way I tell them."

"Oh, that's good to know..." Alvin felt relieved as he chuckled a little more with his dad.

* * *

"Dave, can I ride shotgun?" Alvin asked eagerly as they approached their car in the hospital parking lot.

"Absolutely!" Dave held the passenger side car door open until Alvin was safely buckled into the seat, after their overnight bags were stowed in the trunk.

He soon got into the driver's seat to drive them home. As he buckled his seatbelt and started the car, he sighed. "It sure was nice of Simon and Brittany to pack overnight bags for both of us."

"They sure did good with choosing button-up shirts for me." Alvin agreed. "The nurses seeing me leave almost didn't recognize me without my bright red hoodie with the cheerful yellow 'A' on it. But once they did, I was more than happy to sign a few autographs and take a group pic with all the nurses and doctors who helped take care of me. That was kinda fun!" He chuckled.

They soon left the hospital parking lot, and Dave nodded. "It was kinda fun to do that. Sure a button-up shirt is less conspicuous and maybe...less you than the red pullover hoodies, but for the practical purposes of getting dressed without messing up your bandages or staples, Brittany made a good choice there."

"Yeah, she did." Alvin smiled.

After a few seconds of silence, Dave tried another topic for conversation. "Well, Alvin, I'm glad you and Brittany were getting along well enough that you didn't mind her going through your socks and underwear. How did you feel thinking about that?"

Alvin lightly shrugged so as to keep from disturbing the bandages on his head. "At first, I guess that did seem weird - a girl going through my underwear drawers. Until I remembered the few times my brothers and I would panty-raid the Treehouse when the girls were on tour."

" _What?_ " Dave blinked in shock. "And you guys told me that you were going there to water the plants, or feed the kittens, or something."

"We did do those things, but usually after that was done, we hung out at the Treehouse a little longer." Alvin admitted. "Sometimes we even read a few pages of their diaries to see what all they wrote about us. But we learned a valuable lesson instead that day - that ignorance is bliss. But then the panty-raiding happened when we started folding laundry for them. We even made a game of it where we would reach into the pile, pull out some panties, and try to guess who's they were. Ha! I remember guessing that Brittany's were the pink bikinis. And I saw that I was right about that sometime later."

"Alvin..." Dave mumbled.

Alvin chuckled. "It's OK, Dave, it's not like I was violating Brittany by looking up her skirt or anything like that. It was because I would usually carry her suitcase during out-of-town trips, and I happened to drop it one time in the hotel room, and it popped open and some of those pink bikinis spilled out. I tried to be a gentleman and look away while she stuffed them back in, but I couldn't stop giggling - spilled luggage is kinda funny, especially when it's panties. Then she slapped me, of course, and said, 'Quit picturing me wearing them, you sick munk.' I was like, 'Eww, I was just laughing that your panties fell out, I sure wasn't thinking about _that_ , but I am now that you mentioned it.' For a moment there, she actually apologized and felt bad for slapping me, but then she started laughing and saying, 'You're right, it _is_ funny that of all my clothes in there, my panties were the ones that fell out.' I even said, 'Hey, maybe sometime I can dump _my_ tightie-whities out of my suitcase for a laugh!' And we were both laughing by that point." Once Alvin took a break from laughing at this memory, he sighed. "It's crazy how both Brittany and I tend to assume the worst about each other, or assume that we already know each other, but then we learn something new about each other. And we share a surprising bonding experience when we least expect it."

Dave smiled. "I'm glad to see and hear that you have been getting along better with Brittany. Have you found a good way to get to know her better as a 'long-lost sister' or friend? You know, like our new friends over Spring Break, the Ninja Turtles, said they were going to try with their long-lost sister, Karai?"

"Oh yeah," Alvin blinked, "Now that I'm starting the summer with a head injury, I'll probably be inside more. Brittany and I may start binge-watching some TV shows together. We learned that we both like those survival-based reality series like ' _Naked And Afraid_ ', or ' _Survivor_ '. They kinda bring back memories of the time we were stranded on that island during our Hawaiian cruise. Britt actually had some cool survival skills - like building an awesome shelter - that I never would've imagined someone would have who spends so much of their time at shopping malls or salons. I think she once told me she learned a few things from watching an eighties comedy movie called ' _Troop Beverly Hills_ ', and she said I'm welcome to watch that with her sometime. She even might know some hairstyling tips that can help me work around the staples. I was just going to wear my hat every day, but I've seen her do some good stuff with Simon's and Theodore's hair before some of our concerts that I might actually let her play with my hair. That woman never ceases to amaze me!"

"I'm glad you found some peaceful and practical activities to help you bond." Dave smiled. "Our next concert is a little over a week away. You and Brittany could also help with songwriting material if you want to sing about your newly discovered hobbies, or you're even welcome to work on a duet together, if you'd like."

"Wow! Really, Dave?" Alvin's eyes lit up before a slightly worried look crossed his face. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Dave paused. "Oh, yeah...I'm sure the paparazzi would be all over that..."

"Part of me wants to stop being obsessed with how the paparazzi sees me..." Alvin began, "Or sees _us_. I mean, I like hanging out with Brittany. I think she's pretty cool. And I'm sure it's just a matter of time before it's obvious to everyone around us that I...definitely don't hate Brittany, or that I even enjoy being around her." He nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "This might sound weird, but I feel like I can tell you this, since you said I could tell you anything about my body or my life, no matter how embarrassing. It's that...lately I've begun to notice...something unusual that happens to me when I'm around her, or sometimes even when I'm just thinking about her. It's at least a relief that it isn't as obvious when I'm sitting down, but it sure would be embarrassing if the paparazzi noticed it during a concert. Then they would probably assume that I _really_ like Brittany, and that news would be spread to everyone on the planet!"

Dave started to look panicked. "Uh...just a moment, Alvin, I'm gonna pull over." Once he pulled far enough off the road that he could park the car, he turned back to his son. "Sorry, Alvin, I thought it might be easier to have a talk like this while I'm not needing to focus on driving. Now, you were saying something unusual and embarrassing happens whenever you are with Brittany, or even when you are just thinking about her?"

Alvin blinked, confused as if he had done something wrong without knowing it. "I'm sorry, Dave, I guess it's a little confusing when it happens, since I don't really know what it means about how I feel about Brittany. But I am sure it means that I like her."

"Does it hurt?" Dave asked with concern. "Or is it uncomfortable? Or does it...leave enough of a mess that you need to change clothes?"

Alvin looked even more confused. " _What?_ No, it doesn't hurt or anything, it feels wonderful - like a puppy feels getting its belly rubbed. I guess it means I feel good with Brittany, and I hope she feels that way around me. Well, even if she does, I haven't noticed it happen to her like it happens to me - and not that I spend much time looking."

Dave took a deep breath. "Well, Alvin, that's because girls...are, uh...not like boys, so they would, uh...have a different way of...showing how they feel..."

Alvin still looked confused. "OK... But since Brittany is also a humanoid chipmunk like me, I don't know why I don't see her tail wag like I'm pretty sure mine is wagging. Especially if she touches me - like pats my back or touches my arm or my hand. Maybe I'm reading too much into it - my tail just has a mind of its own and thinks she likes me because of the friendly touch, when to her it probably means nothing. Does that mean my tail has a crush on her - or that _I_ unconsciously have a crush on her, but she doesn't mean anything by it or like me any more than just a friend?"

Dave blinked, then chuckled, and then sighed with relief. "Oh! You meant your _tail_!"

Alvin shrugged with a slightly annoyed expression. "What? How do you _not_ notice that my tail wags like crazy around Brittany? I feel like it's generating enough wind power to make a hurricane!"

Dave shrugged. "I don't know. Sometimes the things that we are overly self-conscious about are not as noticeable to everyone as you may think they are. I'd add 'especially when you are a dramatic eleven-year-old', but it may be true of any age. Who knows? Maybe Brittany feels that her tail is wagging around you, but she is too busy worrying how obvious her own wagging tail is to even notice yours."

"Oh." Alvin blinked. "That never occurred to me."

Dave looked at his son again. "So...was your tail wagging the _only_ embarrassing thing you were talking about?"

Alvin nodded. "Oh, yeah, totally. What part of me did you think I meant?" When he saw his dad's eyes widened again, he no longer needed an answer. "Oh, wait, never mind."

"Come to think of it," Dave began, "If humans had tails like your chipmunk tail, I'm pretty sure mine would be wagging during certain situations when I'm around Julie. And I would probably be just as paranoid wondering why her tail wasn't wagging at the same speed as mine." He chuckled. "Like guys need another reason to look at...such a nice, shapely area of ladies, huh?"

Alvin laughed with him. "Yeah, we're just 'emotionally reading' them, we're not necessarily thinking any 'ungentlemanly' thoughts about them. I guess that's what you tell their dads when you pick up the ladies on dates, right, Dave?"

"Only if they specifically ask, otherwise it's awkward." Dave sighed.

"Gotcha." Alvin nodded. He thought of another question. "But if - hypothetically in some future year - I want to take any or all of the Chipettes, like on a triple-date with my brothers, out for dinner and a dance, or a movie...would we have to talk to _you_ and 'tell you our intentions' and stuff? I mean, you're the dad in their lives, too. I realize it sounds weird, like we would be asking our dad for permission to date our...step-sisters."

Dave sighed. "Well...I try not to think about that right now - any or all of the six of you kids dating. But, sure, I would like to stay in the loop if and when that day comes. I'd like to ensure that I raised gentlemen - and ladies. I love all six of you, and I want to protect you so that nothing terrible happens to any of you."

"And if it's not me or my brothers taking the Chipettes out on a hypothetical date," began Alvin, "I don't blame you for wanting to meet their dates and get to know them a little. I mean, if my brothers and I can't be there to escort the Chipettes to prom ourselves, I'd hope the lucky guys who do get that pleasure would treat them right. Eleanor has always been like a little sister to me, even when she kinda acts like a mom to me." He chuckled as he thought. "And Jeanette is so sweet and understanding, and we have a close friendship where I know I can tell her just about anything. She's like a big sister who always looks out for me. I've always felt a little...protective of both of them, even though I know Eleanor can kick my butt and Jeanette is way smarter than me. That won't keep me from fighting for them!"

Dave rubbed Alvin's left forearm, delivering a few gentle pats toward the end. "You have always been my adventurous and passionate son who likes to play the hero. Does any of this protectiveness extend to Brittany?"

Alvin shrugged. "Pretty sure it does. Even though for the most part, she seems like such a self-made and independent woman." He sighed. "I can't help but remember what she was like when we first met the Chipettes. She may have a tough exterior, but underneath that I've seen her sensitive, vulnerable, and scared - maybe even paranoid, as Jeanette has described her. During the first few months when we first got her back from Ian, Brittany would zone out once in a while. Jeanette told us later that Brittany was having some flashbacks, nightmares, and night-terrors. Ian and Giorgio may have occasionally drugged her so that she forgot many of those painful memories. But Simon said it wasn't just like pressing 'control-alt-delete' and erasing it off of a computer, but it was more like 'swept under the rug' of her subconscious. Simon and Jeanette can still explain this stuff better, but the point is that I don't like to see Brittany that way. It's like I know she's suffering, and I want to help - I want to be her 'Hero' and rescue 'My Princess' like I did back in Kindergarten, but she doesn't ask for my help." He sighed again. "I guess she shouldn't have to ask, I should just know when to fight for her and when to protect and comfort her - but I get wrapped up in my own life and forget about hers, or how much she really matters to me. No wonder her tail doesn't wag when she's around me." He bit his lower lip, feeling like he might start crying.

Dave lovingly held Alvin's left hand. "I must admit that there were times I thought you were too young to have those kinds of feelings, both in general and for any specific girl in your life. I guess the truth is that you're never too young to get your heart broken. But I guess those feelings are deeply-rooted. Maybe more like a male instinct, especially wanting to be the 'hero' and feeling protective of the females in your life - sisters like the Chipettes, mom figures like Ms Croner, lady-friends...later even girlfriends, or daughters." When Dave saw Alvin's eyes widen, he clarified, "Sorry, Alvin, those last two examples were more for me - I think of the Chipettes as my daughters, and feel protective of them as such. And ever since I've begun my relationship with Julie, I feel that need to be a protector and provider."

Dave continued, "But it's OK to have these feelings, Alvin. Just because you don't see Brittany's tail wagging like yours, doesn't mean that she doesn't care about you. Females just show these feelings differently. While the guys like to be the protectors and providers, the girls usually have those...more maternal instincts. They can be doting and caring, even for their brothers, dads, guy-friends, or boyfriends. I still haven't figured out what they see in us, guys, though." Dave shared a chuckle with his son. "Kinda like how you said that Eleanor can act like she's your mother, or that Jeanette can listen to you and look out for you like a big sister. Brittany _does_ like to ensure that you are warm and well-dressed, sometimes even well-groomed - you know how she loves giving makeovers."

Alvin started to smile. "Whoa... She _does_ care! Thanks, Dave, hearing this means a lot to me."

Dave gave his son's hand a gentle squeeze. "Glad I could help. Are you ready for me to drive us home, now? We can continue to talk." As Alvin nodded, Dave started the car again and got back on the road.

After a few moments, Alvin began another topic for their conversation. "So, uh, Dave...uh, hopefully you can keep driving if I ask you another question."

Dave blinked with a quick glance to his son. "Sure, I guess." His gaze went back to the road.

Alvin nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Dave, I was just wondering...and you kinda brought up a bit of it while we talked on the side of the road. I also hope you don't think I'm 'too young' to hear an honest answer. If you don't mind me asking...I really want to know where you are and how things stand, and where and how things are going...in your relationship with Julie?"

Dave chuckled nervously as he drove. "That's a perfectly legit question, Alvin. I'll at least start by saying that I like where and how things are with Julie. Currently, we have no problem calling each other boyfriend-and-girlfriend, and we fully acknowledge that we are in a relationship. But we also aren't in any hurry to get engaged or married - although we're sure we could see it happening someday, and we aren't afraid to at least mention the subject. We also aren't in a hurry to get as physical as dating couples seem on TV. I honestly feel like I was never good at that, even in high school or college, when there was more pressure for that."

Alvin blinked. "I don't think I ever really understood what that meant - pressure to get physical?"

"Count your blessings, then!" Dave chuckled, with less nervous tension. "It's kinda like when you go on a date with a girl, and you enjoyed it and felt like she enjoyed it...until you get to telling your friends about it. Then they start asking questions about how the kiss was - whether it was just cheek, or lips, or tongue. And you're like, 'It was just a first date - just dinner, a dance, or a movie, or a cup of coffee!' And after maybe a few more dates with the same girl, they ask if you 'had a good time in the sack with her' or if you've 'spent the night together at your place or hers' yet. And you feel like a failure or a prude telling them that both of you have decided to wait or to save yourselves. It's like I would feel comfortable at a slow pace for the relationship, until I would talk to my friends, who would seem to think we should be moving much faster than we are."

"Sounds to me like your friends are the problem for putting extra pressure on you in your relationship." Alvin shrugged. "Or I'm sure you would just tell me to make some new friends, if that were me."

Dave continued. "Who says a date has to be just you and her, anyways? There's even less pressure if you invite some of your friends and some of her friends along to make it a double or triple date. And it totally counts if you are both single parents who both invite your kids along for some family-friendly activities, like going to the beach. Since Julie is also a single parent, I'm glad she understands the attitude of the kids taking priority. After all, Julie and I are not the only ones affected by our relationship - it affects all seven of you kids. I enjoy getting to spend time with and getting to know Logan, and I like seeing you and the rest of my kids enjoy the same with Julie. And it's nice to see all seven of you kids having fun together."

Alvin sighed with a smile. "I like that too, Dave. It's fun doing stuff with our whole family and Julie and Logan." He slightly winced as he touched the bandage on his forehead. "You know, it was fun aside from any accidents where we ended up in the hospital, with staples in my head." He shared a laugh with his dad for a moment.

They both sighed together and shared a few moments of peaceful silence. Then Dave spoke up, "You know, Alvin, since we've only eaten hospital food for the past few days, how about the two of us swing by a fast-food restaurant for some 'real' food?"

Alvin's eyes lit up as he smiled up at his father. "Yeah, Dave! That sounds awesome!"

* * *

 **A/N:** A possible adverse effect of hydrocodone is anxious and racing thoughts.

The "Mystic Mate Quiz" was from the Nickelodeon cartoon episode "Al-Brittina". I also gave Alvin the middle name Michael after Michael Bagdasarian, in a previous fanfic. Brittany's survival skills like building a shelter were seen in the 2011 live-action movie "Chip-wrecked". There may have been kittens staying in the Treehouse for a few months since the cartoon episode "Good Luck, Mister Whiskers". The Ninja Turtles trying to get to know Karai as their "long-lost sister" comes up in my crossover fanfic "Munks Meet More Mutants".

This is mostly a "fluffy" filler chapter just showing some bonding conversation between a father and a son. As kids grow up, so do the conversations they have with their parents, as well as those relationships with their parents. In some ways, Alvin is in a hurry to grow up and talk to Dave about grown-up stuff like he's talking to his best friend. And in some ways he likes being the kid, without having the adult responsibilities. Dave kinda feels the same way, as he realizes Alvin is almost a teenager. He treasures the bonding conversation, but likes for Alvin so stay young for "sentimental reasons".


End file.
